Visions of an Empath
by ame3565
Summary: Still reeling from Dumbledore’s death and the knowledge of the only way to defeat Voldemort, Harry’s life becomes even more complicated. As his inheritance approaches, his powers grow in surprising ways. Warnings: slash, LuciusHarrySeverus
1. Chapter 1

Visions of an Empath

Pairing: Lucius/Harry

Rating: NC17

Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.

Summary: Still reeling from Dumbledore's death and the knowledge of the only way to defeat Voldemort, Harry's life becomes even more complicated. As his inheritance approaches, his powers grow in surprising ways.

Chapter 1

It had been two weeks since Harry had watched Snape kill Dumbledore. He still couldn't believe that Snape had betrayed them like that. Now Harry was back at the Dursley's for his annual forced stay to re-enforce the protective wards. Fortunately, he only had to stay until his birthday. Unfortunately, his birthday wasn't for another three weeks. At least the Dursley's seemed content with mostly ignoring him this summer, only giving him a few chores to do each day.

Harry sighed and stared out the window, thinking about the train ride back to London. That is, after all, when everything had changed.

_**Flashback**_

Harry sat in the compartment with Hermione and Ron, lost in thought as he tried to ignore his two friends snogging in the opposite seat. The train went around a curve, and Hermione's book fell off the seat and onto the floor. Harry picked the book up and was lost in a tide of disjointed visions.

Harry saw a tall brown-haired man flipping through the pages excitedly only to slump forward, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth and splashing onto the pages. He then saw a young blonde girl running down the street with the book clutched to her chest. The next vision showed a familiar couple snogging heatedly on a table with the book lying beneath Hermione's head as Ron tugged at her shirt.

Harry dropped the book and jerked back as if he'd been burned. "What the hell was that?" he whispered.

"Harry? What's wrong? Is it your scar?"

Harry looked up and saw Hermione and Ron staring at him in concern. Harry nudged the book toward Hermione with his foot. "Something weird just happened. I picked up that book and saw something strange."

"What did you see, mate?" asked Ron.

"Well, first I saw a man reading through the book, but I think someone killed him because he suddenly slumped forward and had blood coming out of his mouth. Then I saw a girl running with the book. And last, I saw you and Hermione snogging on a table, and Hermione was touching the book."

Hermione and Ron both blushed a bright red at Harry's last comment. They both remembered that night very clearly. Then it registered that Harry shouldn't have known about it.

"Harry, you mean you touched the book and saw visions of the past?" asked Hermione slowly.

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Did you and Ron really snog on a table with you using the book as a pillow?" Hermione's face immediately blushed a furious red. "Then I guess I did. What do you think it means?"

"It sounds like you're psychometric, Harry," said Hermione excitedly.

"What is that?" asked Ron.

"It's the ability to see the past of something or someone through touch. It's a very rare gift in the wizarding world," said Hermione.

Harry looked doubtful. "Hermione, it was probably just a fluke. I seriously doubt that I've suddenly become psychometric. After all, it's never happened before today, and I've touched all sorts of things on this train."

Hermione looked disappointed for a moment and then perked up. She rummaged through her bag and held out a gold necklace. "Hold this and tell me if you see anything."

Harry hesitantly reached for the necklace. The metal was cool against his skin, but no visions flashed across his mind. Harry shrugged and handed the necklace back to Hermione. "See? Nothing. I told you it was just a fluke."

Hermione looked devastated that her theory had been disproved, and the rest of the train ride was silent.

_**End Flashback**_

Since he'd been at the Dursley's the incident from the train had happened three times. The first time had been when Harry had put his Invisibility cloak under the loose floorboard. The vision was of his father, Sirius, and Pettigrew sneaking out of the castle under the folds of the cloak.

The second incident had occurred when Harry was cleaning out the garage and had picked up a small charm bracelet that had fallen between two shelves. This vision was of a young Lily Evans, no more than five, beaming happily when a pretty blonde woman fastened the bracelet around her wrist. The third incident, though, had been a little different.

Harry had been in the kitchen cooking dinner when his Uncle Vernon had bumped into him, brushing against the bare skin of his arm. The touch had been fleeting, but Harry saw a vision of his uncle standing beside Harry's bed, watching as the brunette slept. What made the vision truly revolting, though, was the feeling of lust coming from the older man.

Harry backed away from his uncle and stared at the man in horror. He felt completely violated by what he'd seen. Had his uncle really done that?

"What is it, boy?"

"I feel sick," muttered Harry, brushing past Vernon and running to the loo. He barely reached the loo in time to empty the contents of his stomach.

From that night on, Harry slept with a chair wedged beneath the doorknob. That last vision had scared him in more ways than one. It was the first time he'd felt any emotion while having a vision of the past. Could this new power be growing stronger?

The three weeks leading up to Harry's birthday were wearing down on Harry. The visions began to occur more frequently, and Harry felt like he was going mad. In a desperate attempt to stop the visions, Harry began to wear gloves and long sleeve shirts everywhere he went. The visions were bad enough as it was, but Harry felt every emotion that went along with each vision. The worst one yet was when Harry had gone to the park and touched the slide. He'd seen a young girl being viciously raped by a masked man. Harry had fallen to the ground, feeling every moment of pain the girl endured and the sick pleasure the man felt as he violated her. Merlin, why was this happening to him? He didn't want this terrible power.

Now it was one hour until Harry's birthday. He both looked forward to and dreaded seeing Hermione and Ron tomorrow. He would certainly be glad to leave the Dursley's for good, but he was terrified that Hermione was right and that he would be cursed with this power for the rest of his life. Harry didn't think he could survive like that. It was too horrible to even imagine.

Midnight finally arrived, and with the new day came several owls bearing gifts. He relieved the owls of their burdens and offered them water and treats before he turned his attention to his gifts. He opened Hermione's first and wasn't at all surprised to see a book about psychometry and precognition. Ron got him an assortment of candies and chocolates. Fred and George, of course, sent samples from their shop and a new and improved Shield Cloak. Mrs. Weasley sent the familiar birthday cake and meat pies. Remus got him a silver dagger and sheath with a short note telling him to keep the dagger with him at all times because it was always good to have more than one weapon.

Harry slipped the dagger under his pillow and put the rest of his gifts in his trunk. Yawning widely, Harry sleepily stripped down to his boxers and climbed into bed. He'd been extremely thankful to discover that his bed didn't trigger any visions of the past when he touched it.

Harry fell asleep in a matter of minutes and was completely unaware when his magical inheritance arrived, changing his magic and making it stronger. He never felt the rush of wind that blew through the room and the magic that raced over his sleeping body. He wouldn't know that his entire life had changed until later that morning.

***

Harry awoke the next morning when his Aunt Petunia banged on the door and yelled for him to get up. He rolled out of bed and pulled on his clothes. He grabbed the dagger beneath his pillow and was sucked into another vision of the past. In the vision, Harry saw a man with white hair sliding the dagger across another man's throat before turning to do the same to the woman beside him. Harry screamed and clutched at his throat as he felt the man and woman die, almost stabbing himself with the dagger still gripped in his hand.

The bedroom door suddenly burst open and Remus ran into the room. He saw the dagger in Harry's hand and immediately thought that Harry was trying to harm himself. Remus pulled his wand and stunned Harry, causing the teen to slump forward. Fortunately, Harry didn't stab himself when he fell.

Remus quickly bound Harry and took the dagger away from the teen. Then he cast _Ennervate_ on Harry. "What the hell were you doing, Harry? Killing yourself is not the answer to your problems."

"He wasn't trying to kill himself, Remus."

Remus and Harry looked to the door and saw Hermione standing just inside the room. "What do you mean, Hermione? I saw him. He had the knife at his throat."

"It wasn't a fluke, was it, Harry?"

Harry shook his head and looked down at his bound hands. "I forgot to put on my gloves before I touched the dagger."

"What are you two talking about?" asked Remus in frustration.

"Harry seems to be psychometric, Remus. It started last month on the train ride back to London. He touched one of my books and had a vision of the past. It only happened once, but apparently it's gotten a lot stronger the last few weeks."

"Is this true, Harry?" asked Remus softly.

Harry nodded miserably. "It's more than that, though. Not only am I seeing the past, I feel the emotions of the people involved, too. That's why I was holding my throat. Someone who owned that dagger slit two people's throats with it."

"And you felt that?" asked Hermione weakly. "You felt them die?"

"Yes," whispered Harry.

"Oh god, Harry, that's horrible. Do you only see visions of a violent past?" asked Hermione. She looked like she was about to cry, and she was. She couldn't stand to see Harry so miserable, and that's all this new power was making him.

"Mostly, but I did have a vision of when my mum was a child. I also saw you and Ron once, if you'll remember. I think the visions are just triggered when something or someone has strong emotions tied to a past event. Unfortunately, I've encountered mostly strong negative emotions." Harry then looked at Remus and held up his bound hands. "Can you untie me now? I'd like to get my things together so we can leave."

Remus nodded and quickly untied Harry, though he did reach down and grab the dagger just in case. Harry merely stood and pulled on a pair of gloves before tossing his things into his trunk and locking it. Harry suddenly looked at the bedroom door with an odd look on his face.

"Come on. We need to hurry."

Hermione and Remus looked at Harry strangely, but they didn't question Harry. Remus simply pulled out a rolled up scroll and held it out. Harry stared at the scroll warily and reluctantly pressed his finger to the object. He hated portkeys with a passion. Portkeys had never been his favoured way of travelling, but after the Triwizard Cup had been turned into a portkey, he'd positively loathed travelling that way.

Remus activated the portkey and they disappeared just as the house was rocked by a huge explosion. Harry's bedroom at Privet Drive was quickly surrounded in flame, and if they had waited a few seconds more, the house would have collapsed on top of them. Instead, they landed at the Burrow, and Hermione and Remus stared at Harry in shock.

"Harry, how did you know that would happen?" asked Hermione quietly.

Harry frowned at Hermione. "I didn't know that would happen, Hermione. Why do you think I did?"

Remus answered for the shocked girl. "Because, Harry, you insisted that we hurry after giving the bedroom door a weird look. If you didn't know that would happen, why were you in such a hurry to leave?"

Harry scowled and rubbed his temples. "I didn't know that would happen, Remus. I just had a feeling something bad would happen if we stayed any longer. It was just gut instinct, I guess."

Hermione stared at Harry a moment longer before she grabbed his hand and tugged him into the house. Harry was immediately surrounded by redheads, hugging and wishing the brunette a happy birthday. Harry was fine until Ginny suddenly kissed him on the cheek. As soon as her lips touched his skin, Harry was pulled into a vision of a younger Ginny writing a message on the wall in blood. The vision itself wasn't that bad, but the emotions were overwhelming. He could feel the sadistic glee the possessed girl felt as she wrote the message, but he also felt the confusion and terror that was locked inside the girl, unable to break free from the hold Voldemort had on her.

Harry jerked away from Ginny and stumbled back a few steps. "Please, don't touch me." He saw the hurt look that crossed Ginny's face and felt bad, but he couldn't deal with this right now. "I think I need to lie down for a while. Do you mind?"

"No, dear. You go right ahead," said Molly soothingly.

Harry nodded gratefully and went upstairs to Ron's bedroom, collapsing onto the bed and falling asleep almost immediately.

***

Ginny watched Harry go, feeling hurt and confused. She saw the sympathetic look Hermione gave her and walked up to the other girl. "Hermione, what is going on? What's wrong with Harry?"

"I think everyone should here this," said Remus abruptly, sitting at the kitchen table.

The Weasley's, Remus, and Hermione sat down, and Hermione started the explanations. "Harry is an empath and psychometric. That means that Harry can see and feel events in the past when he touches something or someone. Unfortunately, the visions are rarely happy, and they just keep getting stronger. Whatever you do, don't touch his bare skin because that is what triggers the visions."

Ginny looked horrified. "So when I kissed him on the cheek, he more than likely saw a vision from when I was possessed by You-Know-Who?" Hermione nodded, and Ginny felt sick. No one should have to see or feel what she'd gone through.

"That poor boy," said Molly sympathetically. "Why do these things always happen to him?"

No one had an answer for that. As they sat silently at the table, contemplating about a certain brunette upstairs, Arthur stepped into the room. He breathed an audible sigh of relief when he saw Hermione and Remus, but a worried frown formed on his face when he didn't see Harry anywhere.

"Where's Harry?"

"He's upstairs taking a nap, Arthur. What's wrong?" asked Molly.

"Thank Merlin you three got back safely," said Arthur in relief.

"What do you mean, Arthur?" asked Molly.

"Privet Drive was demolished a short while ago. Every house on the street is nothing but ashes." Arthur saw the grim looks on Remus and Hermione's faces and looked at them questioningly.

"We left just as the explosion started," said Remus, "because Harry said we needed to hurry. We asked him how he knew, but he said that he'd just had a feeling something bad was about to happen."

"So Harry can see the past and future?" asked Ron incredulously. "Well, that's no fair."

Hermione glared furiously at Ron. "Don't be stupid, Ron. Harry almost stabbed himself in the throat this morning because when he touched the dagger Remus gave him, he saw someone slit two people's throats, and he felt them die. Is that really something you'd wish for yourself? And he can't see the future. He's not a seer. He's probably just mildly precognitive."

Ron flinched at Hermione's tirade. Hermione was right, though. He didn't want to be in Harry's shoes right now. "What does it mean to be 'mildly precognitive'?"

"Well, precognitive is the ability to see into the future. Harry doesn't really see visions of the future, though. It's more like hints or feelings that something will happen, but he doesn't know exactly what that 'something' is."

"Like at Privet Drive," said Remus.

Hermione nodded. "Exactly."

"What a way," said Fred.

"To start his birthday," finished George.

"Could be useful, though," they said in unison.

"Don't even think about it, boys. You leave Harry alone," said Molly severely, glaring at the twins. "That poor boy has enough to worry about at the moment without you two adding to it."

"Yes, mum," they muttered quietly.

***

Harry tossed restlessly on the bed, visions tormenting his sleep.

"_Ssseverusss, come forth. Isss the potion ready?"_

"_Yes, master." Snape pulled a phial from his robes and handed it to the Dark Lord._

_Voldemort stared at the shimmering blue liquid with smug satisfaction. He smirked and gestured toward Bellatrix Lestrange. "Bring me Luciusss."_

_Bellatrix grinned maliciously and walked out of the room, returning a few moments later with a bound and cursing Lucius. "Here, my lord."_

_Voldemort stood and went to Lucius, stroking his hand through Lucius' pale blonde hair. "Luciusss, you have failed me ssso many timesss, but now you have a way to redeem yourssself." He suddenly forced Lucius' head back and forced the potion down the blonde's throat. "Sssoon, my little veela, you will submit to me. That'sss the beauty of Ssseverusss' potion, you sssee. It activatesss any hidden magical creature blood."_

_Lucius coughed and sputtered, glaring at Voldemort hatefully. Inside, though, Lucius could barely hide his glee. If that potion activated any magical creature blood, the Dark Lord would be in for a major surprise because contrary to what he believed, Lucius had no veela blood. He did, however, have Frost Drake blood. If that blood was activated, Lucius would turn into a deadly frost drake and only be able to resume his human form once he found his mate. _

_Voldemort saw the hate on Lucius' face and smirked. Once the blonde's veela blood was activated, Lucius would be helpless to resist, especially after consuming the enslavement potion he'd asked Severus to brew. _

_Lucius felt his body get cold and shivered. His body began to ache, and his magic pulsed out of control, breaking his bonds. Lucius' body turned a pale blue as scales covered every inch of skin. His body then began to contort and lengthen, leathery wings sprouted from his back, and suddenly a blue dragon was standing before them._

_The dragon roared, and every person in the clearing shivered at the blast of freezing air that circled the room. Then the dragon spread his wings and flew into the air, crashing through the ceiling and causing rubble to crash down around Voldemort and the others. Lucius didn't care, though. His mate was alive and nearby._

"_Dammit, Lucius," cursed Severus, hoping the tracking spell he'd cast on Lucius would work. Taking advantage of the chaos Lucius had caused, Severus apparated away._

Harry suddenly bolted upright in the bed, clutching his throbbing scar. He needed to tell someone what he'd just seen. He stumbled downstairs and into the kitchen, startling Molly into dropping the bowl she was holding.

"Harry, dear, what's wrong?"

"Vision," gasped Harry, collapsing into the nearest chair.

"Oh dear." Molly quickly hurried to the fireplace and fire-calledMinerva, Moody, and Lupin in rapid succession. Within minutes they were gathered around the kitchen table, listening intently as Harry described his vision.

Remus looked bemused. "Malfoy's a dragon? How is that possible?"

Moody slapped his hand onto the table. "The real question should be 'what are we going to do about a rampaging dragon in London?' Who knows what kind of damage he could cause? And let's not forget Voldemort's part in all this. That damn Snape has created a potion to activate hidden magical creature blood. With that potion, Voldemort could create a damn near unstoppable army of magical creatures."

Harry was only listening with half an ear. He kept glancing out the window, almost as if he expected someone or something to be there. He suddenly got to his feet and walked out the back door. Harry didn't notice the abrupt silence from behind him. He simply walked toward the forest. Something was calling him there.

A loud roar echoed through the forest. The same forest that Harry was still heading toward. Remus ran after the teen and tackled him to the ground. "No, Harry. It's too dangerous." In his effort to save Harry, though, Remus had accidentally touched Harry's bare skin.

Harry screamed and clawed at his skin as he was sucked into a vision of Remus transforming into a werewolf. The pain was excruciating. Remus jerked his hands back in horror and watched helplessly as Harry passed out, blood littering his skin in ragged streaks.

At Harry's screams, an enraged roar sounded from the forest. A pale blue dragon suddenly burst from the trees and flew toward Harry and Remus. Remus tried to lift Harry into his arms and run to safety, but as soon as he touched the teen, the dragon growled dangerously. Remus backed away and watched awestruck as the dragon curled protectively around the unconscious teen.

Minerva looked at Moody. "Well, it seems we found the dragon."

***

Severus cursed as Lucius flew away. He just hoped the tracking charm he'd placed on his friend worked. Taking advantage of the chaos Lucius' departure created, Severus apparated away. He appeared at Spinner's End. Quickly grabbing a few potions and tucking them in his robes, Severus checked to see if his tracking charm worked. He cursed once more when he saw Lucius' location.

What could have possibly drawn Lucius to the Weasley's home? Severus growled softly under his breath when the answer came to him. Drakes had the ability to change from human to dragon form once they found their mates. If Lucius was drawn to the Weasley's home, that meant his mate was there.

Severus apparated to the forest just beyond the Weasley property and heard Lucius give an enraged roar. Severus wanted to strangle the person stupid enough to piss off a raging drake and hurried toward the sound. He reached the edge of trees just in time to see Lucius curl his body protectively around someone lying on the ground.

A blue light suddenly surrounded the dragon. When it finally faded, Lucius Malfoy was sitting where the dragon had been, cradling his mate against his chest.

Remus pulled his wand and started toward Lucius with a growl. "Unhand him right now, Malfoy."

Lucius growled threateningly at the werewolf and pulled his mate closer. Remus didn't heed the warning. When Remus tried to pull his mate away, Lucius struck, slashing his claws across the werewolf's chest.

Severus finally decided to step forward. "I wouldn't get near him right now." His only reply was drawn wands. Severus growled impatiently. "Lucius is a drake. Unlike their larger cousins, dragons, drakes have a human form once they find their mate." He glanced down at the person in Lucius' arms and grimaced. It figured Lucius would choose Harry Potter as his mate. "It seems that Potter here has the illustrious privilege of having that role."

"No, I refuse to allow that," snarled Remus, holding his hand to the bleeding wounds on his chest.

Severus glared at the werewolf. "You don't have a choice in the matter, Lupin. If you try to take Potter away from him, you'll have an enraged drake on your hands. And let me tell you, drakes are far more dangerous than dragons. They can do drake magic and wizarding magic in both forms."

Moody glared at Snape. "Why should we believe anything a traitor like you says?"

A soft groan drew their attention, and they saw Harry beginning to stir. They saw Lucius reach for Harry's face and shouted a protest, but it was too late. Lucius cupped Harry's chin in his hand and forced the teen to look up at him. To Harry's surprise, the skin to skin contact didn't cause any visions of the past, and he instinctively leaned into the touch. It hadn't really registered yet that it was Lucius Malfoy was holding him in his arms.

"Harry, are you all right?" asked Remus hesitantly.

Harry turned to look at Remus, eyes widening at the bloody wounds on the werewolf's chest. He then saw the others with their wands pointed just to the right of him. He looked over and saw Snape.

"What the bloody hell is going on?"

Snape scowled down at Harry. "Leave it to you to miss all the important details, Potter."

Harry glared up at Snape. "Piss off, Snape. Just answer the damn question."

Snape just sneered at Harry. "It seems your knack for getting in trouble is still holding true. The Dark Lord forced Lucius to take a potion that activated his drake blood."

"He's a drake? I thought he was just a dragon. What's the difference?" Harry interrupted.

"Drake's can change into their human form once they have found their mates."

Harry froze. If drakes could only change into human form once they found their mates... Dammit, he was Lucius' mate. Could his life get any worse?

Snape smirked as realisation dawned on Harry's face. "Yes, Potter, you are Lucius Malfoy's mate. Congratulations."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Remus refused to accept it. There was no way he was going to allow a filthy Death Eater lay hands on Harry. He snarled and pointed his wand at Lucius, trying to stun the blonde enough to get him away from Harry. Unfortunately, the spell rebounded off of Lucius and hit the werewolf right in the chest. As soon as Remus collapsed, Moody sent a slashing hex toward Lucius. However, before it could hit, the blonde suddenly transformed into a drake, and the spell once again rebounded.

Lucius grabbed his mate carefully in one claw and rose up into the air. Ignoring his mate's demands to be put down, Lucius flew off into the sky. He needed to get his mate to safety. Those fools could have hurt Harry by throwing those spells at him.

Harry could only hang in Lucius' grasp and watch the ground get further away. What was he going to do now? Who knew where Lucius was planning on taking him? Harry wasn't really worried that Lucius would hurt him because he could feel the blonde's worry for him.

An hour later, they were still in the sky, and Harry was about to freeze, body shivering uncontrollably. His teeth chattered with every breath he took, and quite frankly, even breathing hurt as his lungs filled with the cold air. Harry was beginning to despair of living long enough to reach their destination.

As if he heard Harry's despairing thoughts, Lucius suddenly began to descend toward the ground. He finally landed and carefully placed Harry on the ground before transforming back into his human form. Seeing the blue tint to his mate's lips and the convulsive shivering, Lucius quickly cast a warming charm on Harry and lifted the teen into his arms.

Harry vaguely noticed a small cottage in front of them, but he was too cold to really care where Lucius was taking him. He desperately burrowed closer to the blonde's warm chest, sighing softly in relief when the shivers gradually lessened. Eyes growing heavy and feeling lethargic, Harry soon fell asleep in Lucius' arms.

Lucius was alarmed by the pallor of Harry's skin. With his drake heritage activated, he was practically impervious to the cold and hadn't realised Harry's plight. Striding into the cottage and yelling for a house elf, Lucius carried Harry to the bathroom and ran a hot bath. As he waited for the bath to fill, a house elf popped in.

"Master Lucius, what can Floppy get for you?"

"Prepare a room for us, and make sure to prepare a fire in the fireplace. My mate is suffering from mild hypothermia."

Floppy bowed quickly. "Right away, Master Lucius." She disappeared with another pop.

Once the bath was full, Lucius quickly stripped Harry and himself before climbing into the bath with Harry firmly in his arms. He was relieved to see that the warmth of the water was slowly bringing colour back to his mate's face. He was further relieved when Harry began to wake.

Harry hissed in pain as the hot water made his skin prickle uncomfortably. He tried to climb out of the water, but strong hands held him still. Harry froze completely when his naked skin brushed against the naked flesh of the person who held him. He instantly realised that it was Lucius in the bath with him, but that didn't calm his nervousness.

"Lucius?"

"Yes?" Lucius swept his hands up Harry's chest, trying to calm the brunette into relaxing once more.

"What happened? Where are we?"

"Your werewolf tried to attack us, so I brought us to a safe house. Unfortunately, I didn't realise how cold you'd gotten. Now we're in this lovely bath to get you warmed back up." Lucius smiled slightly as Harry gradually relaxed against his chest, instinctively trusting the blonde to protect him.

Although touching Lucius didn't trigger any visions of the path, Harry's new empathy didn't seem to have a problem reading the blonde. Amazingly enough, all he felt coming from Lucius was concern for his mate's well-being. That, more than anything, allowed him to finally relax. That is until Harry fully comprehended the fact that he was sitting naked in the bath with an equally naked Lucius.

Harry suddenly blushed at the realisation. He started to say something, but a flash of blue caught his attention. Harry looked down at the arms wrapped around his chest and was shocked to see no Dark Mark. He did, however, see a ring of pale blue scales around each of Lucius' wrists and another band of scales around his biceps. He reached out and traced the scales curiously. Hearing the soft moan and feeling the blonde shudder behind him, Harry pulled his hand away with another blush.

"Your Dark Mark is gone. How did that happen?"

Lucius looked at his left arm in surprise and saw that the mark was indeed gone. "I imagine the mark disappeared when my drake inheritance was activated since drakes are immune to such spells."

Before Harry could say anything in response to that, another voice broke into the conversation. "What the hell is going on here? Potter? Why the fuck are you in the bath with my father?"

Harry saw Draco in the doorway and just wanted to disappear. Draco didn't give Harry time to respond anyway. With a murderous scowl, the blonde stormed to the bath and grabbed Harry by the arm, trying to pull him out of the water. Harry, on the other hand, was immediately pulled into a vision.

_Draco stood in front of Voldemort. The blonde was absolutely terrified, but Draco's face remained impassive. Voldemort pulled out his wand and cursed Draco with the cruciatus curse for failing to kill Dumbledore himself. Voldemort finally released the spell only to gesture toward Bellatrix. Bellatrix smiled gleefully and walked out of the room, returning in minutes with Narcissa Malfoy in tow. _

"_Narcissa, sssuch a beautiful woman you are. It'sss unfortunate that you mussst die today, but you have your ssson's failure to thank for that," hissed Voldemort._

_Narcissa just sneered at him. If she was going to die, she was going to die proudly. She'd be damned if she'd grovel for her life in front of that snake faced bastard. As Voldemort raised his wand toward her, Narcissa prayed that Harry Potter would defeat the madman before her son also became a casualty._

_Draco watched in horror as Voldemort sent a flurry of spells toward his mother. He wanted to cover his ears and hide as Narcissa screamed in pain when bloody gashes appeared across her skin. In the next instant, her skin began to bubble as she was cooked from the inside out. When Narcissa finally collapsed to the floor dead, it was all Draco could do not start heaving._

"_If you fail me again, young Draco, your fate will be much worssse. Now leave my sssight."_

_Draco ran from the room. He barely made it outside before he was doubled over and releasing the contents of his stomach._

As Harry screamed in pain, Draco snatched his hand away and stared at the brunette in horror. What had he done? He covered his ears and backed away, remembering the awful screams of his dying mother.

"What the hell is wrong with him?" snapped Severus, rushing forward to help.

"Stop, Severus. If you touch him, you'll hurt him, too," growled Lucius, pulling Harry closer. He breathed a sigh of relief when Harry burrowed into his arms, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

Severus took a deep breath and glared at Lucius. "Lucius, what is wrong with him?"

"I have empathic visions of the past whenever I touch something or someone," mumbled Harry into Lucius' shoulder.

"What?! When did this happen?" shouted Severus.

Harry turned his head to stare impassively at Severus. "I had a vision on the train ride back to London. It only happened once, and I figured it was just a fluke. Obviously not. The visions began to occur more often over the next month, and that's when I began to feel some of the emotions tied into the vision. Now I feel every emotion in every vision I have. Fun, huh?"

"Do you know how rare a gift that is? It's almost unheard of in the Wizarding World," said Severus musingly.

Harry just glowered at the man. "I don't exactly see it as a gift, Snape. You live with it for a while and see just how blessed you feel."

Severus started to snap back at Harry, but Lucius glared at him warningly. "Okay, you two need to leave so that Harry and I can get out of the bath. We'll meet you in my study in fifteen minutes."

Draco, for once, obeyed unhesitatingly. Severus glowered balefully but turned silently and left the room. Lucius quickly climbed out of the bath, wrapping a towel around his hips, before lifting Harry out of the water.

Harry yelped in surprise and blushed as his nakedness was exposed, hurriedly covering his groin with both hands. "Put me down and give me a towel. I'm perfectly capable of walking on my own."

Lucius just smirked at his mate and carried Harry into the bedroom. Setting Harry carefully on the bed, Lucius walked to his wardrobe and rummaged through the myriad of clothing. He finally decided on a pair of pyjamas for them both, shrinking one pair down to fit Harry.

Harry hurriedly pulled the pyjamas on, blushing brightly when Lucius unconcernedly dropped his towel to get dressed himself. Fortunately, neither the bed nor the pyjamas triggered any visions, but Harry didn't want to take any chances. He went back to the bathroom to get his gloves and quickly pulled them on.

Lucius saw the gloves but didn't say anything. He didn't want Harry to be forced into another vision, either. He also planned to keep a close eye on Severus to make sure the other man didn't accidentally touch Harry. With Severus' past, Harry wouldn't be able to withstand such a vision.

Once dressed, Lucius and Harry headed toward the study. When they arrived, Severus sat scowling in the chair by the fireplace while Draco paced the floor, muttering angrily to himself. Harry sighed softly and reluctantly followed Lucius inside.

Draco immediately stopped his pacing and glared at Harry and Lucius. "I still want to know what Potter's doing here. You've never brought a catamite here before."

Lucius growled at Draco. "I suggest you watch what you say about my mate, Draco. I will not tolerate a second insult from you."

"You're mate?" asked Draco incredulously. "When the hell did that happen? What's going on?"

"Voldemort gave Lucius a potion that activated any dormant magical creature blood, and your father became a Frost Drake. Drakes cannot assume their human form until they find their mate," said Harry, taking pity on the confused blonde.

"So he's stuck with you?" sneered Draco.

Lucius growled and cuffed Draco upside the head. "I already warned you not to insult my mate."

Draco glared briefly at Harry before retreating to the sofa to sulk. Severus, on the other hand, decided to sate his own curiosity. "Why don't you have visions when you touch Lucius? As a former Death Eater, I would think there would be several events with strong emotion tied to him."

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe it's because he's a Frost Drake. Apparently, they have natural shields and immunity to most spells. Lucius' Dark Mark even disappeared."

"What?" asked Severus incredulously.

"Yeah, now he just has a ring of blue scales around his wrists and biceps."

"Hmm, I wonder if you can control the visions by building up your own shields," mused Severus, rubbing his own Dark Mark absently.

"You mean like Occlumency? Those lessons didn't go so well, if you'll remember," said Harry hesitantly.

Severus actually looked abashed at the reminder. "Yes, well, I may have been a little harsh during those lessons. And Lucius can help you learn to build your shields, as well."

"It couldn't hurt, I suppose. When do we start?" If learning Occlumency would stop those damn visions, then just call him Hermione Granger. He'd study so hard, he'd leave Hermione choking on dust.

"After dinner," said Severus.

Harry could barely eat, mostly pushing his food around his plate and dreading the moment dinner ended. He truly wanted to learn Occlumency, but he was afraid they would be just like the lessons in fifth year. It had been painful and left him feeling raw and far too exposed.

The meal ended far too quickly for Harry. Severus stood and motioned for Harry to follow him, and Harry quickly obeyed. Once they reached the study, Severus turned to Harry with his wand raised. Harry flinched and braced himself for the mental assault. It took him a moment to realise the attack had never come, and he looked at Severus curiously.

"First thing you need to do is think of the place you feel the safest," said Severus abruptly.

Harry thought for a moment and eventually thought of the Room of Requirement at Hogwarts. It was the only place in Hogwarts he could go when he just wanted to be alone.

"Got it?" Severus asked, and Harry nodded firmly. "Good. Now take your most important memories and hide them. Use trunks, closets, books, whatever. Just make sure they're well hidden."

Harry nodded and carefully began to sort through his memories. He put all of his memories concerning the horcruxes in the pages of several books and then placed them in a large trunk. His memories concerning the Order of the Phoenix were placed is a small rucksack, which was also placed in the trunk. Harry then placed most of his memories of the Dursley's in the trunk, layering the memories over the books and rucksack. He then locked the trunk and pushed it into the small closet. Placing his memories of his recently acquired gifts into a hidden cache in the closet wall, Harry allowed other mundane memories to just float around the closet before locking it as well.

Harry looked up at Severus and nodded. Severus raised his wand. "Legilimens." He saw an empty sitting room with a bookshelf on one wall, a trunk in the corner, and a small closet against another wall. Focussing on the trunk, he flipped it open only to find it completely empty. He quickly turned to the closet. There was a heavy lock on the outside, and Severus blew the lock away with a smirk. He was immediately assailed with memories.

Severus saw Hermione, Ron, and Harry as they passed through the obstacles to get to the Philopher's stone in first year. That memory was quickly followed by Harry's battle with the basilisk in second year. Severus growled softly and pushed the memories aside.

Just as he raised his wand to unlock the trunk, Severus was pushed out of Harry's mind. He looked at Harry in surprise. He was amazed that the teen had managed to layer his memories so well on the first try.

"Well, Potter, I must say that you have once again managed to surprise me. Well done. Now you just need to repair the damage I did, and this time try to add an impenetrable wall around the sitting room."

Harry nodded again and thought once more of his Room of Requirement. Once the image was firmly in his mind, he quickly repaired the lock on the closet. After his repairs were finished, Harry focussed on creating a thick steel wall around the room, making sure there were no cracks or obvious weaknesses.

Harry signalled that he was ready, and Severus cast Legilimens. Severus quickly encountered the steel wall Harry had erected around the sitting room. He cast a blasting curse, and a small crack appeared in the metal. Before he could cast the spell again, he found himself thrown out of Harry's mind once more.

"Good, Potter. Keep that wall in place and try to touch something in this room."

Harry repaired the crack in the wall and hesitantly moved toward the desk. He slowly pulled off his glove and placed his hand on the desk, bracing himself for another vision. Nothing happened. He went to the bookshelf and traced his fingers along the shelved books, barely containing his glee when he wasn't bombarded by visions.

"Nothing," said Harry happily, turning back toward Severus. "Thanks, professor."

Severus nodded briefly. "As long as you keep the wall up, you should be able to touch most anything. However, it's not foolproof, so be careful."

"I will," Harry promised. He pulled his glove back on and hurried out of the room.

"What is going on, Father?" asked Draco.

Lucius sighed and sat down on the sofa. "It's a long story, Draco."

Draco glared at Lucius and sat down beside him. "Well, shorten it. Yesterday you were still in Azkaban, and today you bring Harry Potter to a Malfoy safe house, claiming he's your mate. Correct me if I'm wrong, but there is something seriously wrong with this picture."

"We've already been over this, Draco. The Dark Lord forced me to drink a potion that activated my dormant Frost Drake blood."

"But why would he do that?" asked Draco in frustration.

"The Dark Lord mistakenly assumed that I was part Veela. He planned to activate my supposed Veela blood and then force me to drink an Enslavement Potion to turn me into his own personal sex slave."

Draco could only stare at Lucius in shock. "B-But you're his right hand man."

Lucius just raised an eyebrow mockingly. "Obviously, not anymore. Instead, he activated my Frost Drake blood, and I escaped. The thing about drakes, though, is that they only assume human form once they've found their mate. I only became human again when I touched Harry. He is my mate."

"Why did it have to be that bloody prat?" asked Draco disgustedly.

Lucius laughed at Draco's disgruntlement. "You'll get used to it."

"Yeah, says you," muttered Draco. "Personally, I don't see it happening."

"Well, I suggest you work on it," said Lucius firmly. "Harry will be part of this family whether you like it or not."

Draco just scowled petulantly. He didn't have to be a Seer to know that nothing but trouble would come of this. He could only pray that his father's involvement with Potter didn't get them all killed.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

After his session with Snape, Harry went in search of the library. He knew there was bound to be one in the house despite the fact that it was used as a hideout. They were Malfoy's after all. Merlin forbid should they have to do without their creature comforts.

It didn't take long for Harry to find the library. He stepped into the room and gaped in shock. There were enough books in this room to rival the library at Hogwarts. And best of all, he didn't have to worry about getting permission to go into the restricted section.

Harry perused the shelf until he found a section on time magic. Grabbing several of the books, Harry found a secluded corner and settled down to read. He opened the first book, _The Past, Present, and Future, _and quickly became engrossed in the book. The book was a history about famous Seers, Precognitives, Postcognitives, Psychometrics, and Clairvoyants. Seers, of course, prophesied about the future. Precognitives usually had visions of a more immediate future, and Postcognitives had visions of recent past events. Psychometrics could see the past when they touched an object with strong emotion tied to it, and Clairvoyants could see the present of someone if they touched something belonging to said person.

Out of the five listed abilities, Precognitives were actually most common. However, that was because it was such a broad classification. The term referred to anything from having actual visions to what he would refer to as a 'bad feeling.' Psychometrics were the most rare. The last case was recorded over three hundred years ago. Even then, though, the psychometric wizard wasn't 'gifted' with the empathy, as well. Lucky bastard.

Reading further, Harry learned that Artavious Knowlen learned to control his power in much the same way Harry did. He discovered that strong mental barriers stopped all but the strongest visions, a fact for which Harry was duly grateful. Unfortunately, though, the gift had only gotten stronger over the years, making it more and more difficult to keep the visions at bay. The only way to counter that was to bond with a 'null wizard.' A null wizard was a witch or wizard that was naturally immune to time magic. They would in turn mute the effects of the visions for the affected partner.

Harry sat up straighter at that. Was Lucius actually a null wizard? Was it just Lucius' Frost Drake blood that allowed him to touch Harry without triggering a vision? Getting back to his reading, Harry quickly found his answer. Apparently, there were a rare few magical creatures that could act as a null wizard, and Frost Drakes just happened to be one of them. The other two creatures were Slythes and Rhivas, and they had been extinct for five hundred years.

Harry closed the book and pushed it aside. While he had discovered some much needed answers, he still had so many thoughts and questions to work through. He'd never dreamed that a vision from Voldemort would lead to his current situation. Lucius Malfoy had become a Frost Drake and claimed him as his mate. Added to that was the fact that he was also currently residing in the same house as Draco Malfoy and Severus Snape, the two people responsible for Dumbledore's death and the attack on Hogwarts. Why did his life always have to be so complicated?

Harry still didn't know how to feel about Lucius. On one hand, the man was a Death Eater and had tried to kill him several times. On the other hand, all Harry could feel from the man was a genuine desire to care for him. But could he really forgive and forget the past enough to be in a relationship with Lucius? Did he even want to?

Pushing thoughts of Lucius aside, Harry thought about Snape and Draco. Snape had killed Dumbledore. Why had the man helped him build his mental shields? If Snape was truly loyal to Voldemort, wouldn't it have been more prudent to leave him helpless to the visions? But if he was loyal to Dumbledore, why had he killed the old wizard?

Harry pondered those questions, thinking intently about that night. When Snape had shown up, Dumbledore had begged the man for his life, hadn't he? Or was he pleading for something else? A sudden flash of the cave where he and Dumbledore had retrieved the fake locket flashed through Harry's mind. He clearly remembered the way Dumbledore had looked after Harry had forced him to drink that potion. Merlin, he was just as responsible for Dumbledore's death as Snape was. And with sudden clarity, Harry knew that Dumbledore had begged for Snape to kill him rather than begged for his life. He was going to die anyway, so why not use his death to cement Snape's position with Voldemort?

Harry turned his thoughts to Draco. The prat had done nothing but try to make his life miserable for the last six years. Despite that, though, Harry also realised that Draco only tried to kill Dumbledore because he was desperately trying to protect his family. The question remained, however, if Draco would even accept Harry as part of the family should he choose to allow this burgeoning relationship with Lucius.

And if these troubling thoughts weren't enough, Harry had yet to deal with the Dursley's fate. When he'd arrived at the Burrow, everything had just seemed so surreal. It hadn't even dawned on him that the Dursley's probably had not survived the attack this morning. He couldn't really grieve their death. They had made damned sure he knew just how unloved and unwelcome he was. He did regret their death, though. They were just more in a large number of casualties in Voldemort's war to eradicate Harry.

Harry sighed softly and grabbed another book. Troubling thoughts aside, he still had a Dark Lord to defeat, and he needed all the information he could use.

Draco scowled as he stormed to the library. His father was completely insane. There was no way he would ever welcome Potter into the family.

Reaching the library, Draco quickly selected the books he wanted and headed toward his favourite spot. However, when he arrived, he saw the table occupied by none other than the prat himself. "Potter! What are you doing at my table?"

Harry didn't even look up at the blonde. "Studying, so quieten it down, please."

Draco could only stare at the brunette in complete disbelief. "This is my table! Go study somewhere else."

"The table is plenty big enough for both of us to use it," said Harry calmly, turning the page of his book.

"I don't want you here," said Draco venomously.

Harry just shrugged carelessly. "Too bad."

Draco took a deep breath, trying to calm down enough to keep from killing the prat.

"Hey, Malfoy? What's fiendfyre?"

Draco blinked in surprise at the question and answered automatically. "Cursed fire. It's so hot, it'll burn through anything."

"Anything? Really?"

"Yeah, but it's too dangerous to use. It spreads so quickly that it's almost impossible to contain." Draco darted a suspicious look at Harry. "Why?"

Harry just smiled innocently at the blonde and held up the book.

Draco gaped incredulously at the title. Harry Potter, Golden Boy of Gryffindor, was reading _Vilest Curses Through the Ages_. "That's a book about Dark Arts," he sputtered.

"Hmm, it's rather interesting, too. Have you read it?"

"Of course I have. But why are you reading it?"

Harry just raised an eyebrow at Draco. "I do have a Dark Lord to defeat. I rather doubt disarming and stunning spells are what he and his minions will be using."

"Do you actually think you have even a minuscule of a chance of defeating him? He's the most powerful wizard in the world right now."

Harry simply smiled and went back to his book. Draco looked at the brunette for a moment longer and sighed. It was no fun picking at the prat when Potter didn't respond the way he expected. Setting his books at the table, Draco sat down across from Potter and opened the book he'd selected.

An hour later, Draco looked up to ask Harry a question and saw the brunette sleeping with his head on his arms. He started to call for a house elf, but a soft voice to his right said, "I'll take him, Draco." Draco started in surprise when his father stepped up to the table and lifted the brunette into his arms. Draco was further surprised to see a soft smile on the normally impassive face when Potter snuggled into his embrace with a soft sigh.

"Goodnight, Draco."

"Goodnight, Father," said Draco softly, staring pensively at his father's back. Lucius' feelings were obviously deeper for Potter than Draco thought. Draco sighed softly. Perhaps he could use this to his advantage. With father choosing a halfblood, maybe he could get out of that horrid marriage contract with Pansy. After all, his father couldn't harp about pureblood status when his own mate was only a halfblood, could he?

"How could you let Malfoy take off with Harry?" yelled Ron, glaring at Remus. He, Hermione, Ginny, and the twins had gone to Diagon Alley so that Harry could get some uninterrupted sleep, and they returned to utter chaos.

"Lucius Malfoy is a Frost Drake?" asked Hermione.

Remus silently nodded, aiming a glare at Ron. It wasn't like he hadn't tried to stop the bastard from taking Harry. He'd like to see Ron go up against a full grown Frost Drake.

"And Harry is his mate? Are you absolutely positive?" Hermione continued.

"Yes, Hermione, we're positive. We asked Charlie what he knew about them, and he confirmed that a Frost Drake can only take human form when it finds its mate. From what Harry told his, Lucius was forced to drink a potion to activate any dormant magical creature blood, and that's what he became. Lucius was still in drake form when he appeared at the Burrow. He only became human again when he touched Harry," said Molly bluntly.

"The good news is that Frost Drakes are more like veela in regards to their mates. It would literally kill Lucius if he turned Harry over to Voldemort. Once a Frost Drake finds their mate, they are fiercely protective of that mate. They're also fiercely possessive, so don't be surprised if he tries to maim you for touching his mate," said Bill cheerfully. He'd arrived right after Harry's abduction.

"That's actually a good thing," said Hermione.

"Hermione!" cried Ron in disbelief. "How could Lucius kidnapping Harry be a good thing? Have you lost your bloody mind?"

Hermione glared at the redhead. "No, Ron, I haven't lost my mind. But if Lucius is a Frost Drake, that's a good thing for Harry. Because of his psychometric abilities, Harry needs to bond with a null wizard, and Frost Drakes just happen to fall in that category. Lucius Malfoy will help ground Harry's powers so the visions don't completely overwhelm him."

"Why can't we just find another null wizard?" asked Ron petulantly. "Anyone's better than Lucius Malfoy."

"Have you ever heard of a null wizard?" asked Hermione archly.

Ron blinked at the question. "No, why?"

Hermione scowled him. "There's a reason for that, Ron. Null wizards are about as rare as pyschometrics are."

"Yeah, well, in case you've forgotten, Hermione, Malfoy wasn't the only one involved in Harry's kidnapping. Snape was there, too, and Harry isn't his bloody mate," said Ron heatedly. "He could be torturing Harry even as we speak."

"Don't be ridiculous, Ron. Lucius wouldn't let Snape hurt Harry," protested Hermione, but a smidgen of doubt had crept into her voice.

"You can't be sure, though, can you?" asked Ron pointedly. "We need to find Harry as quickly as possible. When I see for myself that Harry's all right, then I'll consider giving Malfoy a chance. Until then, forget it."

"That's easier said than done," said Remus abruptly. "We've been trying to locate Harry for several hours now. I don't know if Lucius took him someplace heavily warded, or if Lucius' new magic is interfering, but nothing's worked so far. Right now, all we can hope is that Harry's all right and will contact us when he can."

Ron snorted derisively and stormed out of the room. If they wouldn't look for Harry, he would just do it himself. There was no way he was just going to leave his best friend in the hands of the enemy.

Harry slowly awoke early the next morning, snuggling closer into the warmth flush against his back. It took him a moment to realise that the warmth along his back was in fact another person. Of course, it didn't take a genius to figure out the other person was none other than Lucius Malfoy. Harry knew he should have felt more horrified at that fact than he was, but it was hard to feel that way when the emotions coming from Lucius made him feel safe and protected. That was a feeling Harry knew precious little of.

Harry carefully disentangled himself from Lucius' arms and slipped out of bed. Hopefully the floo in the study was connected. He needed to contact the Weasley's to let them know he was all right.

Quickly making his way to the study, Harry saw a pot of floo powder on the mantle. Tossing a handful into the fire, he said, "The Burrow."

Fortunately, Arthur was getting ready to leave for work, and he saw the floo activate. When he saw Harry's face in the flames, he almost collapsed in relief. "Harry! Dear Merlin, are you okay? Lucius and Severus haven't hurt you, have they?"

Harry smiled reassuringly. "No, Mr. Weasley. I'm perfectly fine. In fact, Snape even helped build my mental shields to block out most of the visions. I just wanted to let you all know that I'm fine and not to worry."

Arthur was surprised to hear that Severus had actually helped Harry with his new gift. The man had killed Dumbledore, so why would he bother? Wouldn't it work out better for him to leave Harry vulnerable to the visions? Arthur hummed thoughtfully. Maybe another trip to the headmaster's office would be beneficial.

Harry continued speaking, oblivious to Arthur's internal debate. "So tell Ron and Hermione not to worry, and I'll see them as soon as I can."

Before Arthur could respond, the study door on Harry's side opened, and Lucius stormed into the room. "What the bloody hell are you doing?" He grabbed Harry's arm, intending on pulling the brunette away from the fireplace, but Harry grabbed his hand and pulled him down in front of the fire.

"Good, Lucius, you're here. I was just telling Mr. Weasley that I was perfectly fine and for them not to worry," said Harry calmly, keeping Lucius' hand in firm grip.

"Well, of course, you're all right. I'm hardly likely to harm my own bloody mate," said Lucius indignantly, scowling down at Harry.

Harry just smiled warmly at the blonde before turning back to the fireplace. "We'll see you soon. Bye, Mr. Weasley." He ended the call and turned back to Lucius only to find the blonde glaring at him.

"What was that all about?"

Harry sighed. "How would you feel if Mr. Weasley suddenly grabbed Draco and ran, taking him off to only Merlin knows where?"

"That's different. Draco's my son," said Lucius. "I'd destroy everything in my path to find him."

"Well, the Weasley's are my family. From the time I was eleven, they've cared for me as though I was one of their own. They were just as worried for me as you would be if Draco had been kidnapped," said Harry softly.

"I didn't kidnap you!" growled Lucius. "I was trying to protect you from that idiot werewolf and that moron Moody. Moody almost hit you with a cutting curse, for Merlin's sake."

Harry smiled softly, feeling the rush of protectiveness coming from Lucius. "I still had to let them that I'm all right. They're family. It's not like I was trying to escape."

"You wouldn't have made it far," said Lucius seriously. He climbed gracefully to his feet and held out a hand to help Harry up. "Come on. Breakfast should be ready by now."

"Great! I'm starving. I was too nervous to eat much last night," said Harry enthusiastically.

"Why were you so nervous last night?" asked Lucius curiously.

"My last Occlumency lessons didn't go so well. Of course, that was because Snape didn't really try to teach me, either. He'd just tell me to clear my mind, and then he'd attack, yelling at me when I didn't manage to block him. I really wasn't looking forward to another session like that."

"He didn't do that last night, did he?" Severus better pray he hadn't.

Harry smiled brightly. "No, he was great last night. He told me how to hide my most important thoughts to give me time to push him out, and then he taught me out to block him out completely. Now that I have my mental wall built, I can even touch things without triggering a vision."

"It should help with your link to the Dark Lord, as well. We need to keep your new gifts secret for as long as possible."

Harry smiled slightly. Yes, he definitely needed to keep Voldemort from finding out about his new gift. He had to find to horcruxes, and his new ability could aid in that.

When Harry and Lucius reached the dining room, Severus and Draco were already at the table. Harry smiled brightly and said, "Good morning, everyone."

Draco groaned. "Merlin, he would be a bloody morning person. I hate chipper people in the mornings."

Severus just sneered at the cheerful brunette and went back to reading the paper. Harry leaned toward Lucius and whispered, "Are they always like this in the morning?"

"Yes," said Lucius simply.

Harry just shook his head and started eating. He could still hardly believe he was sitting at the table with three Slytherins. It was even more astounding considering the identity of said Slytherins. It was amazing how much had changed over the last few days.

Arthur stared blankly at the fireplace once the flames had disappeared. He was still standing there when Molly came into the room. "Arthur, what are you still doing here? You're late for work. Are we out of floo powder again?"

"I just received a firecall from Harry."

Molly gasped. "From Harry? Is he all right? Where is he? When's he coming back?"

"He said he's fine and for us not to worry," said Arthur slowly.

"Well, of course he'd say that. Those traitors probably forced him to say that to get us to quit looking for him," scoffed Molly.

"No, I don't think they did. Lucius was obviously surprised when he saw Harry talking to me. Besides, Harry also said that Severus had helped him build his mental shields to help stop the visions."

"You don't actually believe that, do you? They kidnapped Harry, and we need to find him and bring him back home," Molly insisted.

"What's going on?" asked Ron as he stepped into the room with Hermione. "Did you find out something about Harry?"

"He firecalled this morning to assure us that he was fine," said Arthur quickly.

"He firecalled? Why didn't he just floo back?" asked Ron, scowling at the fireplace accusingly.

"It's obvious, isn't it?" Everyone turned to look at Hermione in surprise. "Honestly, people. Harry was starved, physically and emotionally, the entire time he was at the Dursley's. Can you possibly imagine how he felt, knowing that his only family hated the very sight of him? And then he's thrust into this whole new world where he's hailed as a hero one moment and called the next Dark Lord in the next breath. Plus, he's forced to encounter Voldemort almost every year he's at school. The only time he probably ever felt safe was here and with Sirius, and now Sirius is gone, too. As a Frost Drake, Lucius is very protective of Harry, and Harry can feel that. I can't blame him for not wanting to give it up, despite their pasts together."

"Bloody hell," whispered Ron. "We're gonna have to welcome those damn Malfoy's into the family, aren't we?"

"Language, Ronald," reprimanded Molly automatically, though she was thinking the same. She looked at Arthur and saw the truth reflected in his eyes. "Well, whatever Harry decides, we'll support him to the fullest."

"Agreed," said Ron reluctantly. "But if that damn Malfoy hurts Harry, no one will ever find the bloody bodies."


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

After breakfast, Harry ensconced himself in the library again. He found an animagus guide and settled at the table to read. Meditation, recognition, and transformation. Sounded easy enough. Harry closed his eyes and steadied his breathing, reaching deep inside to find his animal form. Slowly, an image began to form. Emerald green scales, leathery wings, and taloned claws.

Harry was startled out of his meditation by the image. It looked very much like Lucius' drake form, except this creature was green and quite a bit smaller than Lucius. Harry climbed to his feet and searched the bookshelves for a book about dragons and drakes. Unsurprisingly, he found an entire shelf devoted to just that.

Grabbing several books off the shelf, Harry flipped to the section about drakes and almost choked in shock. Right there on the page was a picture of a small green dragon, exactly like the one Harry had envisioned. Reading intently, he discovered that the green drake was in fact an Earth Drake. Like all drakes, they were immune to most dark magic, especially dark binding magic.

Out of the different types of drakes, the Earth Drake was the most rare. That could be because they were also the most vulnerable of the drakes since they couldn't use their breath to kill. Instead, Earth Drakes used their breath to bring life.

"I'm an Earth Drake," said Harry reverently. He smiled softly at the picture. He liked the idea of bringing life rather than ending it. "Now for the transformation."

Harry moved the tables into the corners of the room to make room for his transformation. He pulled the image of his animagus form to the front of his mind and focussed his magic on transforming. He shivered as scales appeared across his skin. Harry fell to his hands and knees as his limbs changed to dragon's claws, and wings burst from his back.

Once the transformation was complete, Harry growled as a sharp, agonising pain speared through his temple. The pain didn't last long, but Harry wondered idly what caused it. Dismissing the concern, Harry looked down at his body curiously. As expected, his entire body was covered in iridescent green scales.

"What the... Harry, is that you?" asked Lucius, staring at the emerald drake in astonishment. The drake nodded, and Lucius slowly smiled. "Your animagus form is a drake? Why didn't you tell me?"

The drake slowly shifted until Harry was standing in its place. "I didn't know until today. I found this animagus guide in your library, and it was remarkably easy. I'm an Earth Drake, by the way. They're the only type of drake that doesn't kill with its breath."

"They use their breath to bring life," said Lucius. "It's very fitting, Harry." Harry nodded enthusiastically, and Lucius frowned. There was something wrong with this picture. Lucius lifted a hand and brushed Harry's bangs out of his eyes, fist clenching around the ebony strands in shock. "Who are you?"

Harry hissed in pain at the grip on his hair. "What are you talking about, Lucius?"

"Who are you? What have you done to my Harry?" Lucius demanded angrily.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Lucius. I am Harry."

"Harry Potter has a lightning bolt scar on his forehead. You don't. What did you do with him?" snarled Lucius.

Harry frowned and reached up to touch the scar, gasping in shock when he couldn't feel it. What happened to his scar? Then he remembered the blinding pain in his forehead when he transformed. That thought lead to a memory of Lucius' unmarked arm in the bathtub.

"Wait! Lucius, do you remember what you said about Frost Drakes being immune to dark spells like that? When I transformed into my animagus form, a sharp pain shot through my forehead. What if my drake form nullified the curse scar?"

Lucius frowned thoughtfully and opened his senses. Every instinct in him was screaming that he was hurting his mate, and Lucius hurriedly let go of Harry's hair only to stroke the stinging scalp soothingly. "Harry, I'm..."

Harry smiled ruefully, feeling the blonde's self-recrimination. "It's all right, Lucius. I understand, really. The scar has been my identifying feature for my whole life. I probably would have reacted just the same."

"No, it's not all right. You're my mate, and I should have recognised that no matter how you looked," said Lucius. "I'll make it up to you, though. I promise." Lucius rubbed a thumb across Harry's forehead, where the scar had been. He started to say something else, but Severus hurried into the room, clutching his arm.

"The Dark Lord's calling." With barely a glance at them, Severus left the house and apparated away.

Lucius reluctantly stepped away from Harry. "I need to get his potions ready for when he returns. I imagine the Dark Lord will not be pleased tonight."

"I'll help," said Harry, needing something to keep his thoughts off the Death Eater meeting tonight.

Severus apparated into the manor and knew immediately that this meeting would not go well. The Dark Lord was already screaming in fury, and three Death Eaters were trembling uncontrollably from being subjected to the cruciatus curse for too long.

"Severus!"

Severus quickly cleared his thoughts and walked up to the Dark Lord, bowing low before him. "Yes, my lord?"

"What news of Potter? I know he wasn't in the house when we attacked."

"I've heard nothing, my lord."

"Crucio!" Voldemort grinned maliciously as Severus screamed in pain. After two full minutes, he finally ended the curse and lifted Severus' chin up. "Find the boy. He somehow managed to sever our connection, and I want to know how."

Severus didn't have to feign his surprise at that. "Yes, my lord."

Voldemort nodded, and Severus breathed a sigh of relief. His relief was short lived, though, as Voldemort shouted, "Crucio!" once more at him. Another two minutes of agonising pain, and the curse ended.

"That, dear Severus, is for the Malfoy's defection. Find them, as well. I want to kill them myself. Now begone."

Severus bowed once more and climbed shakily to his feet. Before he got two feet, though, Voldemort's voice stopped him once more. "Oh, and Severus? I expect more of that potion at the next meeting. Lucius may have been a failure, but the potion, at least, worked."

Severus nodded shortly and apparated back to the safe house. He leaned against the front door for a moment, trying to control his trembling limbs enough to walk normally. After a few moments, he took a deep breath and opened the door. To his surprise, Harry was pacing the foyer nervously.

"Oh! You're back." Seeing the fine trembling of Severus' body, Harry hurried to the man and wrapped his arms around Severus' waist. "Come on. I'll help you to your room. Lucius and Draco already have your potions ready."

Severus stared at the teen in shock and didn't move. "Why are you doing this? You hate me."

Harry huffed irritably and tugged Severus a few steps before the man stubbornly stopped again. Harry scowled and straightened. "I'm trying to help you, but you're making it extremely difficult. And despite your past efforts, I don't hate you. Snarly attitude aside, I'm very aware that you have gone out of your way to protect me."

"I killed Dumbledore," Severus reminded the teen.

Harry glowered at Severus. "I'm aware of that. I was there that night. Dumbledore immobilised me and hid me under my invisibility cloak, giving me a front row seat to the whole thing."

"You saw everything?" asked Severus in shock. He'd known Harry had to be close by because he'd caught up to them too quickly, but he hadn't realised the teen was on the tower the entire time.

Harry sighed. "Yes, I did. Dumbledore wasn't pleading for his life, though, was he? He was actually asking you to kill him."

Severus' knees weakened, and Harry quickly grabbed him around the waist to keep him on his feet. Severus, forgetting about Harry's new abilities, cupped Harry's chin to read the truth in the teen's eyes. Unfortunately, despite his new barriers, Harry was overwhelmed with visions.

"_Why...why did you put on that ring. It carries a curse, surely you realise that. Why even touch it?" asked Severus._

_Dumbledore grimaced. "I...was a fool_. _Sorely tempted..."_

"_Tempted by what?" The headmaster didn't answer. "It's a miracle you managed to return here! That ring carried a curse of extraordinary power. To contain it is all we can hope for._ _I have trapped the curse in one hand for the time being..."_

_Dumbledore raised his blackened, useless hand and examined it curiously. "You have done very well, Severus. How long do you think I have?"_

"_I cannot tell. Maybe a year. There is no halting such a spell forever. It will spread eventually. It is the sort of curse that strengthens over time."_

_Dumbledore smiled. "I am fortunate, extremely fortunate, that I have you, Severus."_

_Severus scowled at the headmaster. "If you had only summoned me a little earlier, I might have been able to do more, buy you more time!" His eyes turned to the broken ring and the sword. "Did you think that breaking the ring would break the curse?"_

"_Something like that...I was delirious, no doubt..." said Dumbledore. "Well, really, this makes matters much more straightforward."_

_Dumbledore smiled at the perplexed look on Severus' face. "I refer to the plan Lord Voldemort is revolving around me. His plan to have the poor Malfoy boy murder me."_

_Snape sat heavily in the chair across the desk from Dumbledore. He scowled again. "The Dark Lord does not expect Draco to succeed. This is merely punishment for Lucius' recent failures. Slow torture for Draco's parents while they watch him fail and pay the price."_

"_In short, the boy has had a death sentence pronounced upon him as surely as I have," said Dumbledore. "No, I should have thought the natural successor to the job, once Draco fails, is yourself?"_

_Severus hesitated. "That, I think, is the Dark Lord's plan."_

"_Lord Voldemort foresees a moment in the near future when he will not need a spy at Hogwarts?"_

"_He believes the school will soon be in his grasp, yes."_

"_And if it does fall into his grasp," said Dumbledore, "I have your word that you will do all in your power to protect the students of Hogwarts?"_

_Severus nodded stiffly._

"_Good. Now then, your first priority will be to discover what Draco is up to. A frightened teenage boy is a danger to others as well as to himself. Offer him help and guidance. He ought to accept. He likes you..."_

"_Much less since his father has lost favour. Draco blames me. He thinks I have usurped Lucius' position," added Severus._

"_All the same, try. I am concerned less for myself than for accidental victims of whatever schemes might occur to the boy. Ultimately, of course, there is only one thing to be done if we are to save him from Lord Voldemort's wrath."_

_Severus raised his eyebrows. "Are you intending to let him kill you?"_

"_Certainly not. You must kill me."_

_Severus stared at Dumbledore in disbelief for a moment. "Would you like me to do it now? Or would you like a few moments to compose an epitaph?" he asked sarcastically._

"_Oh, not quite yet," said Dumbledore with a smile. "I daresay the moment will present itself in due course. Given what has happened tonight, we can be sure that it will happen within_ _a year."_

"_If you don't mind me asking," said Snape roughly, "why not let Draco do it?"_

"_That boy's soul is not yet so damaged. I would not have it ripped apart on my account."_

"_And my soul, Dumbledore? Mine?" asked Severus._

"_You alone know whether it will harm your soul to help an old man avoid pain and humiliation," said Dumbledore. "I ask this one great favour of you, Severus, because death is coming for me as surely as the Chudley Cannons will finish bottom of this year's league._ _I confess I should prefer a quick, painless exit to the protracted and messy affair it will be if, for instance, Greyback is involved. I hear Voldemort has recruited him? Or dear Bellatrix, who likes to play with her food before she eats it."_

_Severus finally gave a curt nod._

"_Thank you, Severus."_

_The scene shifted until it showed Snape and Dumbledore walking the school grounds._

"_What are you doing with Potter all these evenings you are closeted together?" asked Severus abruptly._

"_I have things to discuss with him, information I must give him before it is too late."_

"_Information," said Severus resentfully. "You trust him, but you don't trust me."_

"_It is not a question of trust. I have, as we both know, limited time. It is essential that I give the boy enough information for him to do what he needs to do."_

"_And why may I not have that same information?"_

"_I prefer not to put all of my secrets in one basket, particularly not a basket that spends so much time dangling on the arm of Lord Voldemort."_

"_Which I do_ _on your orders!"_

"_And you do it extremely well. Do not think that I underestimate the constant danger in which you place yourself, Severus. To give Voldemort what appears to be valuable information while withholding the essentials is a job I would entrust to nobody but you."_

"_Yet you confide much more in a boy who is incapable of Occlumency, whose magic is mediocre, and who has a direct connection into the Dark Lord's mind!"_

"_Voldemort fears that connection," said Dumbledore. "Not so very long ago he had one small taste of what truly sharing Harry's mind means to him. It was pain such as he has never experienced. He will not try to possess Harry again, I am sure of it. Not in that way."_

_The scene shifted and they were back in Dumbledore's office._

"_Harry must not know, not until the last moment, not until it is necessary, otherwise how could he have the strength to do what must be done?"_

"_But what must he do?" asked Severus._

"_That is between Harry and me. Now listen closely, Severus. There will come a time when Lord Voldemort will seem to fear for the life of his snake."_

"_For Nagini?" asked Severus incredulously._

"_Precisely. If there comes a time when Lord Voldemort stopes sending that snake forth to do his bidding, but keeps it safe beside him under magical protection, then, I think, it will be safe to tell Harry."_

"_Tell him what?"_

"_Tell him that on the night Lord Voldemort tried to kill him, when Lily cast her own life between_ _them as a shield, the Killing Curse rebounded upon Lord Voldemort, and a fragment of Voldemort's soul was blasted apart from the whole and latched itself onto the only living soul left in that collapsing building. Part of Lord Voldemort lives inside Harry, and it is that which gives him the power of speech with snakes and a connection with Lord Voldemort's mind that he has never understood. And while that fragment of soul, unmissed by Voldemort, remains attached to and protected by Harry, Lord Voldemort cannot die."_

"_So the boy...the boy must die?" asked Severus calmly._

"_And Voldemort himself must do it, Severus. It is essential."_

"_I thought...all these years...that we were protecting him for her. For Lily."_

"_We have protected him because it has been essential to teach him, to raise him, to let him try his strength. Meanwhile, the connection between them grows ever stronger, a parasitic growth. Sometimes I have thought he suspects it himself. If I know him, he will have arranged matters so that when he does set out to meet his death, it will truly mean the end of Voldemort."_

_Snape looked absolutely horrified. "You have kept him alive so that he can die at the right moment?"_

"_Don't look so shocked, Severus. How many men and women have you watched die?"_

"_Lately, only those whom I could not save." Severus stood up. "You have used me."_

"_Meaning?"_

"_I have spied for you and lied for you, put myself in mortal danger for you. Everything was supposed to be to keep Lily Potter's son safe. Now you tell me you been raising him like a pig for slaughter!"_

The vision stopped abruptly, and Harry fell to the floor with a gasp, tears streaming down his cheeks. Severus stared at Harry in shock and reached out to help the teen up, but Harry scrambled away from Severus' touch. Wiping his tears away with a shaky hand, Harry climbed to his feet.

"It's too bad that Dumbledore's precious plan was all for naught," said Harry bitterly. "I no longer have Voldemort's soul inside me."

"What? But how?"

"My animagus form is an Earth Drake. When I transformed that first time, it purged Voldemort's soul from inside of me." Harry ran a nervous hand through his hair, showing his unmarred forehead. "Just wait here. I'll go get Lucius."

Severus watched Harry go with a heavy heart. Merlin knew he'd never cared for the boy, but he knew just how betrayed Harry felt. He remembered the feeling all too well.

A few minutes later, Lucius came into the room with a scowl on his face. "What the hell did you do to Harry, Severus?"

Severus sighed and leaned wearily against the wall. "He saw a vision of Dumbledore's true plans for Harry."

"What exactly does that mean? What plan?"

"Dumbledore planned all along on Harry sacrificing his life to defeat the Dark Lord," said Severus tonelessly.

Lucius, at that moment, wished Dumbledore were still alive just so he could kill the bastard himself. No wonder Harry looked so devastated. Lucius sighed and went to Severus. "Come on. Draco has your potions in your room."

Once Severus was settled in his room, Lucius left him in Draco's care and went to find his mate. Harry was lying on the bed, staring at the ceiling. Lucius climbed into the bed beside Harry and pulled the brunette into his arms.

Harry lay beside Lucius, feeling the anger and worry coming from the blonde. "I knew there was more to the scar than Dumbledore told me, especially after he possessed me at the Department of Ministries."

"He possessed you?" asked Lucius, staring at Harry in shock. "How in Merlin's name did you survive that?"

"Dumbledore said it was because I had too much love, and Voldemort couldn't bear the emotions." Harry suddenly rolled over and buried his face in Lucius' chest. "My whole life was one big plan to use me as a willing sacrifice in the battle against Voldemort. Am I really just a means to an end to everybody?"

"Not to me, Harry. You're everything to me," said Lucius softly.

Harry smiled, feeling the truth in Lucius' declaration.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Severus crawled out of bed, hissing through his teeth as every muscle in his body protested the movement. As he got dressed for the day, he couldn't help thinking about what had happened the previous night. Potter had seen the full extent of Dumbledore's plans, shattering the boy's image of the old wizard.

With a weary sigh, Severus left his bedroom. As much as Harry would probably rather avoid him, there were several issues that needed to be settled between them. However, as he neared the kitchen, he heard Lucius and Harry talking softly. He hid in the shadows just outside the door and silently listened.

"You don't blame Severus for what Dumbledore planned, do you?"

"Of course not, Lucius. I felt how betrayed he felt when Dumbledore told him the truth. It's just that he always acted as though he hated me because of my father, but that was a complete and utter lie. He loved my mother, still does, and he hates the fact that I survived the same attack that killed her. I can even understand why he feels that way. It must torment him to look at me and see my mother's eyes staring back at him."

Severus closed his eyes at that blunt statement. It was true, after all. He hated the boy with Lily's beautiful green eyes. Every time he looked at Harry, it reminded him of what his choices had cost him. And, yes, he did hate Harry for surviving the same attack that had killed Lily. She wasn't supposed to die that night.

"He doesn't hate you, Harry," said Lucius softly. "It's just hard for him to be around you because you remind him of all he's lost."

"How do you think I feel? Snape is the one who told Voldemort about the prophecy in the first place. It was that very act that caused my parents' deaths."

Severus clenched his fists at the painful reminder of his part in Lily's death. Yes, it was his fault his beloved had died, and Harry was right to hate him for it.

"But even knowing what he did, I can't say that I really hate the man," Harry continued. "After all, once he realised the consequences of his actions, he immediately went to Dumbledore and begged for his help. He became Dumbledore's spy, putting his very life in danger at all times, to help put a stop to Voldemort. And despite his precarious position, he also did everything in his power to protect me, even at great danger to himself."

"So you've forgiven him for killing Dumbledore, too?"

Harry sighed softly. "How can I not? Snape may have fired the killing shot, but Dumbledore and I were just as culpable in his death. Dumbledore sealed his own fate when he put on Gaunt's ring. Snape stopped his inevitable death for as long as possible, but he was still going to die. That doesn't even include the fact that the night Dumbledore died, he and I were away from Hogwarts earlier that night, and he forced me to feed him a poisonous potion in order to gain something very important."

Severus couldn't bear to listen anymore. He silently turned and left, thoughts whirling chaotically through his mind. After the way he'd treated Harry all these years and everything he'd done in the past, the teen had every right to hate him. So why didn't he? Severus had ruined Harry's entire life with one thoughtless deed. Nobody could be that forgiving.

Stumbling back into his bedroom, Severus collapsed wearily onto the bed. The conversation between Lucius and Harry had certainly been enlightening. What were Dumbledore and Harry doing away from Hogwarts that night? And what was the very important item they had retrieved? Severus was sure it had something to do with the secrets Dumbledore had been unwilling to reveal to him.

As much as Severus hated to admit, even to himself, Harry was proving far more emotionally mature than he was. After all, the brat had given him and Lucius a second chance despite what they had done in the past. Maybe he needed to learn to do the same.

After his conversation with Lucius, Harry found himself in the familiar surroundings of the library. He smiled slightly. He was getting as bad as Hermione about spending all his time in the library lately.

Grabbing a book about potent poisons and venoms, Harry settled at his new favourite table to read. The book gave detailed descriptions about the symptoms of various poisons, how quickly they began to take effect, and the antidotes for them. He sat up in surprise, though, when he came across the section for basilisk venom.

_Basilisk venom can be used to accentuate the strength of a weapon. A blade created from steel and basilisk venom can cut through almost anything. _

"A blade created from steel and basilisk venom," said Harry, staring at the page in shock. "That's how Dumbledore destroyed the ring. And I destroyed the diary by using the basilisk's fang." He suddenly slammed the book closed and jumped to his feet. "I've gotta get that damn sword back. But how the hell am I gonna get to Hogwarts to get it?"

"Get what?"

Harry jumped in surprise and whirled to face Snape. "I need to get Gryffindor's sword from the Headmaster's office."

Severus stared at Harry for a moment before stepping further into the room and shutting the door behind him. "Why do you need the sword?"

"It's the only thing that will destroy the ho-" Harry stopped abruptly, horrified that he'd almost let the secret slip. He didn't really think Snape would betray him, but Snape was the last person who should know the truth considering his close proximity to Voldemort.

Severus sighed and closed his eyes, his suspicions confirmed. "I'll get you the sword tomorrow."

"How are you going to do that? Aren't you a wanted man?"

Severus calmly handed Harry a copy of the Daily Prophet he'd gotten a few minutes earlier. Harry hesitantly took the paper and scanned the title, jaw dropping in shock. He looked back up at Snape. "You're the new headmaster? Has Voldemort really gained that much power over the Ministry?"

Severus nodded shortly.

"What about Professor McGonagall? I always thought she'd become Headmistress if anything happened to Dumbledore."

"Minerva doesn't have the power or the clout to stand against the Ministry. She really has no choice in the matter. She will, however, still be teaching at Hogwarts."

Harry looked back at the paper and smiled slightly. "Still protecting the students." He handed the paper back to Snape. "I can think of no one more suited for the job."

"Why?" asked Severus abruptly.

"Why what?" asked Harry, staring at Snape in confusion.

"Why do you forgive me so easily? I was responsible for your parents' deaths. And when you came to Hogwarts, I did my damnedest to make you as miserable as possible. And to top it all off, I killed Dumbledore right in front of you. How can you even bear to look at me?"

Harry stared blankly at Severus, surprised at the sudden query. He thought for a moment before slowly answering the man. "People make mistakes, but I've learned that we're generally much harder on ourselves than anyone else could ever think of being. You think I don't wonder how Remus can stand to look at me? It was my fault Sirius died. But I know Remus loves me despite that."

He sighed and looked at the floor. "When I heard that you were the one to tell Voldemort of the prophecy, I did hate you. I felt vindicated for every horrible thought I ever had about you. But I also saw your face when you realised the terrible truth of what you'd done. And despite your dislike for my father, you begged Dumbledore to send us all into hiding to protect us."

Harry looked back up at Severus. "As for making my life miserable," aiming a cheeky smile at the other man, "I'd like to think I doled out my fair share of misery toward you, as well. As for Dumbledore, you tried your hardest to prolong his life as long as possible. In the end, though, he forced both of us to participate in his death."

Severus was stunned. However, he could now see why Dumbledore truly thought Harry would defeat Voldemort. Severus had believed that Harry would eventually get himself killed because he acted on his emotions so much. But now, he realised it was that very trait that made him so powerful.

Harry was shocked when the stoic Slytherin suddenly pulled him into his arms, hugging him warmly. It was over almost before it began, but Harry knew that the relationship between Severus and him would be forever altered from this day forward.

"You'll have the sword tomorrow afternoon." Severus turned to leave but paused at the door. "I realise that Dumbledore left an important task for you to complete. May I suggest that you allow Lucius to help? He may know more than you realise."

"Thank you, Severus," said Harry softly.

Severus nodded shortly and left the room. Harry settled back at his table and gave Severus' request a little more thought. Dumbledore had told him he could tell Ron and Hermione about his task so that they may help him. Should he tell Lucius though? Could he trust Lucius with the knowledge about horcruxes? The man was a Slytherin, after all, and distinctly drawn to power. And what better draw is immortality?

Harry sighed and drummed his fingers absently on the table. Lucius was a Frost Drake. Like dragons, drakes could live for several centuries. Would the idea of immortality even matter to him because of that fact?

"Harry?"

Harry looked up and smiled when he saw Lucius leaning against the doorframe. "Hey, Lucius. I was just thinking about you."

Lucius smirked at Harry's reply and sauntered into the room. "Really? Should I take that as a compliment?"

Harry's smile dimmed slightly. "I don't know about that. Come sit with me. I need to talk to you about something."

Lucius raised his eyebrows at the sudden seriousness on Harry's face and sat down at the table.

Harry took a deep breath. "Before Dumbledore died, he left me with a very important task to complete- a task of utmost secrecy. You see, he had discovered the key to Voldemort's immortality." Harry paused at this point and looked at Lucius. The blonde was shocked at the revelation, but Harry could neither feel or see any desire for that immortality in Lucius. "Do you know what a horcrux is?"

Lucius's brow furrowed in thought. "No, I don't."

"Lucky you. A horcrux is an item in which Voldemort has placed a piece of his soul." Harry smiled bitterly. "He did have seven horcruxes, but three have been destroyed. Until all seven have been destroyed, though, we have no chance of defeating him."

"Three have been destroyed?"

"Yes. The diary you gave Ginny was the first. Dumbledore destroyed the second, Gaunt's ring, but it ultimately killed him. The third horcrux, though, was the horcrux inside of me. It was destroyed when I transformed into an Earth Drake."

Lucius took one look at Harry's miserable face and pulled the brunette into his lap. Now he understood just how betrayed Harry felt because of that vision. Dumbledore hadn't bothered to tell Harry the truth before he so blithely went about planning his pawn's sacrificial death.

"What about the other four? Do you know how to find them?"

Harry sighed and burrowed closer to Lucius. "I was hoping you could help me with that. The night Dumbledore died, we went after Slytherin's locket. We retrieved the locket, but it was a fake and inside was a note by R.A.B., saying they had taken the locket and planned to destroy it. Of course, who knows if they actually did? I know one of the hocruxes is Nagini, but she'll have to be destroyed last. Dumbledore believed that Voldemort used Helga Hufflepuff's cup and an artefact important to Rowena Ravenclaw as the other two."

"Those initials seem familiar. In fact, I would almost guarantee that they belong to one Regulus Arcturus Black."

Harry gasped and sat up. "Regulus Black? I knew I had seen that locket somewhere."

"You know where it is?" asked Lucius.

"It was at Grimmauld place. We found it a couple of years ago. I just can't remember what Sirius did with it." Harry frowned as he tried to remember what they had done with the locket. It was hard to tell with the way Kreacher kept stashing things away. "Kreacher would know. I'm sure of it. Can I call him here? I mean, will he be able to get through the wards?"

"As long as a house elf is bound to you, it can pretty much get through any wards," said Lucius. "Call him."

"Kreacher!"

The house elf appeared with a loud crack. "Master," he said bowing. He started muttering about mudbloods and blood-traitors until he looked up and saw Lucius Malfoy staring at him. "Master has finally given me to a pure-blood?"

Harry growled at the house elf. "I forbid you to call anyone 'blood-traitor' or 'Mudblood,'" He took a deep breath to calm down. "I've got a question for you, and I order you to answer it truthfully. Understand?"

"Yes, Master."

"Two years ago there was a big gold locket in the drawing room upstairs. We threw it out. Did you steal it back?"

Kreacher straightened up, looking Harry directly in the face. "Yes."

"Where is it now?"

"Gone."

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" He saw the house elf shiver and sway, trying not to answer. "Kreacher, I order you-"

"Mundungus Fletcher stole it all: Miss Bella's and Miss Cissy's pictures, my Mistress' gloves, the Order of Merlin, First Class, the goblets with the family crest, and... and... and the locket. Master Regulus' locket. Kreacher did wrong! Kreacher failed in his orders!" said Kreacher, screaming at the end.

Kreacher suddenly lunged for the poker by the fireplace, and Harry instinctively leapt upon the elf, pinning him to the floor. "Kreacher, I order you to stay still." The house elf immediately froze, and Harry slowly moved to kneel beside the elf. "Kreacher, I want the truth. How do you know Mundungus Fletcher stole the locket?"

"Kreacher saw him!" cried the elf, tears streaming down this face. "Kreacher saw him coming out of Kreacher's cupboard with his hands full of Kreacher's treasures. Kreacher told the sneak thief to stop, but Mundungus Fletcher laughed and r-ran..."

"You called the locket 'Master Regulus.' Why? Where did it come from? What did Regulus have to do with it? Kreacher, sit up and tell me everything you know about that locket and everything Regulus had to do with it!"

"Master Sirius ran away, good riddance, for he was a bad boy and broke my Mistress' heart with his lawless ways. But Master Regulus had proper pride. He knew what was due to the name of Black and the dignity of his pure blood. For years he talked of the Dark Lord, who was going to bring the wizards out of hiding to rule the Muggles and the Muggle-borns, and when he was sixteen years old, Master Regulus joined the Dark Lord. So proud, so proud, so happy to serve..."

"And one day, a year after he had joined, Master Regulus came down to the kitchen to see Kreacher. Master Regulus always liked Kreacher. And Master Regulus said... he said... he said that the Dark Lord required an elf."

"Voldemort needed an elf?" asked Harry in surprise.

"Oh, yes," moaned Kreacher. "And Master Regulus had volunteered Kreacher. It was an honour, said Master Regulus, an honour for him and for Kreacher, who must be sure to do whatever the Dark Lord ordered him to do... and then to come home."

"So Kreacher went to the Dark Lord. The Dark Lord did not tell Kreacher what they were to do, but took Kreacher with him to a cave beside the sea. And beyond the cave there was a cavern, and in the cavern was a great black lake..."

Harry felt a shiver run up his spine as he listened to Kreacher. He vaguely heard Kreacher mention a boat, and immediately the ghostly green boat flashed before his eyes. So this was how Voldemort tested the defences guarding his precious horcruxes.

"There was a b-basin full of potion on the island. The D-Dark Lord made Kreacher drink it," continued the elf. "Kreacher drank, and as he drank, he saw terrible things. Kreacher's insides burned. Kreacher cried for Master Regulus to save him, he cried for his Mistress Black, but the Dark Lord only laughed. He made Kreacher drink all the potion. He dropped a locket into the empty basin and filled it with more potion. And then the Dark Lord sailed away, leaving Kreacher on the island."

"Kreacher needed water, so he crawled to the island's edge, and he drank from the black lake. Hands, dead hands, came out of the water and dragged Kreacher under the surface."

"How did you get away?" asked Harry, feeling sick.

"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back."

"I know, but how did you escape the Inferi?"

"Master Regulus told Kreacher to come back," he simply repeated.

Harry growled in frustration and started to ask again when Lucius interrupted. "He disapparated, Harry."

"But you couldn't apparate in and out of that cave," said Harry. "Otherwise Dumbledore-"

"Elf magic isn't like wizard's magic, Harry," said Lucius. "How else would Kreacher have been able to apparate through these wards when you called?" A short laugh escaped Lucius. "Quite ingenious really. Of course, it would never have occurred to the Dark Lord that house elves might have magic that he didn't."

"The house elf's highest law is his Master's bidding," said Kreacher. "Kreacher was told to come home, so Kreacher came home."

"So what happened when you got back? What did Regulus say when you told him what had happened?" asked Harry.

"Master Regulus was very worried, very worried. Master Regulus told Kreacher to stay hidden and not to leave the house. And then... it was a little while later... Master Regulus came to find Kreacher in his cupboard one night, and Master Regulus was strange, not as he usually was, disturbed in his mind, Kreacher could tell... and he asked Kreacher to take him to the cave, the cave where Kreacher had gone with the Dark Lord..."

"And he made you drink the potion?" asked Harry in disgust.

Kreacher, however, shook his head and started crying. "M-Master Regulus took from his pocket a locket like the one the Dark Lord had, and he told Kreacher to take it and, when the basin was empty, to switch the lockets."

Kreacher sobbed harshly. "And he ordered Kreacher to leave without him. And he told Kreacher to go home and never to tell my Mistress what he had done but to destroy the first locket. And he drank all the potion, and Kreacher swapped the lockets and watched as Master Regulus was dragged beneath the water and..."

"So you brought the locket home, and you tried to destroy it?" asked Harry softly.

"Nothing Kreacher did made any mark upon it," moaned Kreacher. "Kreacher tried everything, everything he knew, but nothing, nothing would work. So many powerful spells upon the casing, would not open. Kreacher punished himself, he tried again, he punished himself, he tried again. Kreacher failed to obey orders, Kreacher could not destroy the locket! And his Mistress was mad with grief because Master Regulus had disappeared, and Kreacher could not tell her what had happened, no, because Master Regulus had f-forbidden him to tell any of the f-family what happened in the c-cave..."

Harry sighed and looked down at the house elf. "I don't understand you, Kreacher. Voldemort tried to kill you. Regulus died to bring Voldemort down, but you were still happy to betray Sirius to Voldemort. You were happy to go to Narcissa and Bellatrix and pass information to Voldemort through them..."

"Harry, Kreacher is a slave. He is loyal only to family and those who treat him fairly. Besides, he's not the first house elf to betray their 'master' in favour of someone more kind to them. I'm a little ashamed to admit that Dobby was right to place his loyalty in you because I treated him very badly," said Lucius softly.

Harry nodded in understanding. He looked back at Kreacher. "Kreacher, I want you, please, to go and find Mundungus Fletcher. We need to find out where the locket- where Master Regulus' locket is. It's really important. We want to finish the work Master Regulus started, we want to ensure that he didn't die in vain."

"Find Mundungus Fletcher?"

"And take him to Grimmauld Place. Do you think you could do that for me?" Kreacher nodded and got to his feet, and Harry suddenly remembered the fake locket he'd been carrying around with him. He pulled it out of Hagrid's purse and placed it in Kreacher's hand. "Kreacher, I'd like you to have this. It belonged to Regulus and I'm sure he'd want you to have it as a token of gratitude for what you..."

Lucius snorted and turned away to hide his laughter as Kreacher took one look at the locket and started crying. Once Kreacher calmed back down, though, he bowed to Harry and Lucius and apparated with a loud crack.

Harry turned to Lucius. "I need to floo Ron and Hermione and have them meet us at Grimmauld Place."

Lucius scowled slightly when he heard their names. He wasn't looking forward to spending his time with the little know-it-all and her pet weasel, as Draco called them. He just knew they would spend most of their time trying to convince Harry to come back home with them.

Harry saw the look and sighed. "Lucius, I know you don't like them, but they've been helping me much longer than you have."

Lucius scowled even more. "I don't care about them helping, but they better not try to take you from me. You're mine!"

Harry grinned and stepped closer to Lucius. "I'm sure Hermione has already researched all about Frost Drakes and Psychometrics and has come to the conclusion that we belong together. And she, in turn, will make everyone else aware of that fact. Don't worry so."

Lucius stared solemnly at Harry as he pulled the brunette closer to him. "I hope your faith in her is rewarded.." He placed a chaste kiss on Harry's lips and stepped back. "I need to go tell Draco that we're leaving, and then I'll be ready."

Harry nodded, smiling softly at the feelings that had accompanied that innocent kiss. A warm glow settled in his chest, and he absently rubbed the skin above his heart.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Harry sighed in frustration. He and Lucius were at Grimmauld Place, waiting for Kreacher to return. He'd been trying to contact Ron and Hermione for the past three days and had yet been able to reach them. All the letters he'd sent were returned unopened, and Harry was worried. Had something happened to them? Merlin, he hoped they were all right.

As he paced restlessly across the room, Harry heard a soft tap at the window. Seeing Hedwig outside, he hurriedly let her in. "Did you find them, girl?"

A soft hoot was his reply as Hedwig held out her leg. Harry took the note and read with growing dismay. In all the excitement lately, he'd completely forgotten about Bill's wedding. And if that wasn't bad enough, Voldemort had attacked during the reception. Fortunately, the Weasley's and Hermione had gotten away, and now they were all in hiding.

Lucius stalked into the room a moment later, body almost vibrating in fury. Harry flinched at the harsh emotion and tried to block it out. "Lucius, what happened?"

"That bastard is using my Manor as his bloody headquarters," snarled Lucius.

"Lucius, please calm down. It's really hard to block out that much anger," said Harry, rubbing his temples as they throbbed in pain.

Lucius' anger died quickly at seeing Harry in pain. "Floppy!" Once the house-elf had appeared, Lucius instructed her to get a pain potion. She popped out and returned a moment later with the required potion. "Here, this should help."

Harry gratefully swallowed down the potion and sighed in relief when the throbbing in his head eased quickly. He set the empty phial aside and looked up at Lucius. "I know you don't like him using your Manor in such a way, but this could work to our advantage. As you've already said, Voldemort constantly underestimates the house elves. Use that. Have your house elves spy on him and pass any information on to you."

"Why, Harry, how positively Slytherin of you," said Lucius admiringly.

"Nothing new there," said Harry impishly. "I had Dobby and Kreacher spying on Draco all of last year. I knew he was up to something. I just couldn't figure out what it was."

Lucius stared at Harry in shock for a moment before a soft laugh escaped his lips. Harry couldn't help but laugh with him, feeling the humour two-fold.

"And I thought you would be upset by my news," said Severus from the doorway, observing them with raised eyebrows.

Lucius smirked at Severus. "Oh, I was. That is until Harry reminded me how the Dark Lord constantly underestimates house elves."

"Your point would be?"

"I'm taking a page out of Harry's book. I'll order my house elves to spy on the Dark Lord and report back to me," said Lucius calmly.

Severus looked at Harry speculatively. "And when have you employed such methods?"

"I had Dobby and Kreacher spying on Draco last year," said Harry blithely. "Unfortunately, the little blighter made most of his plans in the Room of Requirement." He suddenly looked at Severus again. "What are you doing here? I thought you were at the safe house with Draco."

Severus reached into his robes and pulled out a miniature sword. With a quick flick of his wand, the sword returned to its original size. "I promised you this, did I not?"

"Gryffindor's sword! Thanks!" said Harry, lifting the sword from Severus' hands.

Severus nodded briefly and turned to leave. At the doorway, he stopped. "Use caution when leaving the house. Death Eaters watch from the courtyard." With that warning, Severus was gone.

"How would they even know about Grimmauld Place?" asked Harry curiously.

"Wizarding wills are examined by the Ministry. With the Dark Lord in control, it wouldn't be very difficult for them to find out," said Lucius softly.

Before Harry could reply, they heard a sharp crack in the kitchen. They rushed to kitchen and saw Kreacher and Mundungus tangled up together on the floor. Kreacher quickly got to his feet and bowed to Harry.

"Kreacher has returned with the thief Mundungus Fletcher, Master."

Mundungus jumped to his feet and pulled out his wand, but Lucius disarmed the thief and bound him to a chair.

"What?" cried Mundungus, struggling to escape his bonds. "Wha've I done? Setting a bleedin' 'ouse elf on me, what are playing at. Wha've I don? Lemme go, lemme go, or-"

"You're not in much of a position to make threats," said Harry. He crossed the kitchen and knelt beside Mundungus, who froze in terror.

"Kreacher apologises for the delay in bringing the thief, Master," said Kreacher. "Fletcher knows how to avoid capture, has many hidey-holes and accomplices. Nevertheless, Kreacher cornered the thief in the end."

"You've done really well, Kreacher," said Harry approvingly. He turned back to Mundungus. "Right, we've got a few questions for you."

"Why the 'ell am I being 'hunted down by 'ouse elves? Or is this about them goblets again? I ain't got none of 'em left, or you could 'ave 'em."

"It's not about the goblets either, although you're getting warmer," said Harry. "When you cleaned out this house of anything valuable-"

Mundungus interrupted Harry. "Sirius never cared about any of the junk-" Kreacher ran into the kitchen and hit Mundungus over the head with a saucepan, causing the thief to shriek in pain. "Call 'im off, call 'im off. 'E should be locked up."

"Kreacher, no!" shouted Harry.

"Perhaps just one more, Master Harry, for luck?" said Kreacher, still holding the saucepan aloft.

Lucius smirked maliciously at Fletcher, who immediately flinched away from the blonde.

"We need him conscious, Kreacher, but if he needs persuading you can do the honours," said Harry.

Kreacher slowly lowered the pan and bowed to Harry. "Thank you very much, Master."

"When you stripped this house of all the valuables you could find, you took a bunch of stuff from the kitchen cupboard. There was a locket there. What did you do with it?"

"Why? Is it valuable?" asked Mundungus.

"You've still got it?" asked Harry quickly.

Lucius sneered at the thief. "No, he doesn't. He's merely wondering whether he should have asked more money for it."

"More?" said Mundungus sulkily. "That wouldn't have been effing difficult. Bleedin' gave it away, di'n't I? No choice."

"What do you mean?"

"I was selling in Diagon Alley and she come up to me and asks if I've got a license for trading in magical artefacts. Bleedin' snoop. She was gonna fine me, but she took a fancy to the locket an' told me she'd take it and let me off that time, and to fink meself lucky."

"Who was this woman?" asked Harry.

"I dunno, some Ministry hag. Little woman. Bow on top of 'er head. Looked like a toad."

Harry dropped his wand in shock, hitting Mundungus on the nose. Red sparks shot into the thief's eyebrows, causing them to ignite. Harry quickly grabbed the glass of water on the table and tossed the contents in Fletcher's face, causing the thief to sputter indignantly.

"Kreacher, take him back, will you?"

"But, Master, he must pay for his thievery," protested the house elf.

"Do as you see fit. He's of no use to me. Just don't kill him or permanently maim him," said Harry.

"Now wait jus' a minute. You can't-"

Kreacher grabbed the thief and popped out in mid-sentence.

Harry looked up at Lucius, absently rubbing his thumb over the scars on his right hand. How were they going to get the locket now? With the Ministry being run by Voldemort, it would be suicide to attempt to infiltrate it to get to Umbridge.

Lucius saw the unconscious action and wanted to tear Umbridge to pieces. He quietly told Kreacher to take Fletcher back were he got him and turned back to Harry. "We'll get the locket, Harry. Don't worry."

"How, Lucius? The Ministry is under Voldemort's control. Neither one of us can exactly waltz in unnoticed," said Harry.

Lucius smirked deviously. "Sure we can. You'll see."

HPHP

Severus growled under his breath as he stepped into the Ministry of Magic. Why in Merlin's name did he allow Lucius to talk him into this insane plan? They were all going to get caught and tortured to death.

As if hearing his thoughts, a small set of teeth clamped down on the skin beneath his robes. Severus hissed in pain and slapped the pocket lightly. "Cut it out, you little brat." The soft warning drew curious eyes, but Severus ignored them and continued on his way to the first floor.

**Flashback**

"_Severus, I need you to get us into the Ministry of Magic," said Lucius calmly._

_Severus could only stare at Lucius in shock. "You want me to what? Have you lost your bloody mind? If you and Harry go anywhere near the Ministry of Magic, you'll get caught and sent directly to the Dark Lord."_

"_Only if they know we're there," said Lucius._

"_And just how do you plan to do that?" asked Severus snidely. _

"_Like this," said Lucius, transforming into his drake form._

"_That's a little conspicuous, Lucius. How is that going to work?"_

_The huge drake suddenly began to shrink until he was small enough to fit into Severus' palm. In the next instant, the tiny drake disappeared. _

"_How did you that?" asked Severus incredulously._

_The drake reappeared and rapidly grew to his original size before transforming back into Lucius. "Drake magic. We don't really disappear, though. It's more like a chameleon's ability to blend in to its surroundings."_

"_Drakes can do that? Cool," said Harry._

"_Yeah, you try it," said Lucius._

_Harry transformed into his animagus form and focussed the accompanying magic into shrinking his large body the way Lucius had. The beautiful green drake began to shrink rapidly, and Harry quickly found himself staring up at a massive Severus. Feeling a little threatened, Harry instinctively used his magic to blend in with his surroundings as Lucius had._

"_Very good, Harry," said Lucius approvingly, bending down and placing the tiny drake in his palm. "Fly around the room for a bit. We need to make sure we can stay hidden."_

_Harry took off and was immediately enamoured with flight in this form. This was even more amazing than riding a broom. _

_Lucius and Severus watched closely as Harry flew around the room. They lost track of him several times, only to catch sight again the short second it took him to change from one background to another. However, as long as they kept close to the shadows, they would be almost imperceptible._

**End Flashback**

As the lift stopped on the first floor, the doors opened to reveal Delores Umbridge and the Minister Scrumgeour. "Ah, Severus, what brings you to the Ministry today?"

"I wanted to have a word with you about the curriculum at Hogwarts, Minister," said Severus smoothly. He felt his passengers leave his pockets as he followed the Minister into his office and prayed nothing else went wrong.

HPHP

As soon as Severus disappeared into he Minister's office, Harry and Lucius flew down the corridor after Umbridge. She stepped into her office only long enough to grab a folder off her desk and started back toward the lift. As she turned, Harry glimpsed a glimmer of gold and flew a bit closer. She was wearing Slytherin's locket! That hag!

He saw someone heading toward them and looked at Lucius pointedly. Getting the hint, Lucius rammed into the man's back, causing him to collide with Umbridge. In the ensuing struggle, Harry grabbed the necklace between his teeth and ripped the locket from Umbridge's throat, flying directly into the shadows to avoid detection. Fortunately, the hag didn't seem to notice its absence, and Lucius and Harry quickly flew back to the Minister's office to await Severus.

Severus stepped out into the corridor a few minutes later, and Lucius and Harry quickly hid themselves in Severus' pockets. As they ducked out of sight, they heard Umbridge gasp and yell, "My necklace! You took my necklace."

"N-No, I didn't. I swear I didn't."

"Liar! I had it before you bumped into me. Now give it back!"

Severus took that as his cue to the lift. As the lift doors closed behind them, Harry couldn't help feeling sorry for the poor guy being accused of their theft, but there was really nothing he could do about it. He had to destroy all of the horcruxes or Voldemort would never be defeated.

Severus stepped off the lift into the Atrium and started toward the fireplace. The wizard monitoring floo travel nodded politely at Severus as he stepped into the fireplace. Once outside the anti-apparition wards, Severus apparated the three of them back to Grimmauld Place.

Lucius and Harry climbed out of Severus' pockets and returned to their normal size before transforming back to normal. Harry held out the locket triumphantly. He handed the locket to Severus with a smile. "You should have the honour of destroying this. After all, you were Head of Slytherin." Harry then yelled for Kreacher. "Kreacher, please get me the sword lying on my dresser."

"Yes, Master," said Kreacher with a short bow. He disappeared with a loud crack only to reappear a moment later with the sword in hand. "Here, Master."

Harry grinned. "Thank you, Kreacher." He handed the sword to Severus.

Severus stared at Harry in shock. Pulling himself together, he carefully set the locket down and raised the sword. He then brought the sword down, piercing the locket directly in the centre. A long, eerie scream came from the locket just before the entire thing shattered into several different pieces.

"That was a bit anti-climactic," said Lucius dryly.

"Don't complain, Lucius. That's one down and three to go," said Harry.

"Just don't involve me in any of your insane little plans," said Severus. "I've reached my limit of Gryffindor foolishness."

Harry just grinned at him. "Somebody's gotta keep you on your toes, Severus. Life would be dull without us."


	7. Chapter 7

Chapter 7

Lucius sat in his study, staring pensively at his desk. After a moment's hesitation, he finally reached into the desk drawer and pulled out a small jewellery box. Lucius slowly opened the small box and gazed speculatively at the silver ring inside, wondering if he should go ahead and formally initiate the bond with Harry. He knew that Harry cared for him, but would Harry actually want to bond with him so soon?

With a determined nod, Lucius closed the small box and slipped it into his pocket. He would ask today. It was just a matter of finding the little imp. As he stood to leave, though, his house-elf, Toffee, popped into the room. Lucius gracefully sank back down into his seat and looked at the elf. "What is it, Toffee?"

"Toffee has news to report, Master," said Toffee demurely.

"Go ahead," said Lucius.

"Toffee has heard the location of Puff's cup, Master. The Strange woman has it hidden in her bank vault," said the house-elf dutifully.

"That's going to be a problem," murmured Lucius softly. It would be extremely difficult to retrieve the artefact with all security at Gringott's. They couldn't exactly waltz into the bank the same way they had the Ministry. He waved absently to the house-elf as he ruminated on how he and Harry would go about getting that cup. "Thank you, Toffee. You may return to your duties at the Manor."

Toffee nodded but paused before leaving. "Master, Toffee is glad you have Master Harry as mate. He be good for you. Master Harry make you much happier than former Mistress ever did." With that said, Toffee popped out of the room.

Lucius shook his head wryly. Harry was obviously a bad influence. A month ago, Lucius would never have thanked a house-elf for anything, and Toffee would never have been bold enough to say what she had. Getting back to his feet, Lucius left his study to search for his wayward mate. The brunette was probably in the library again.

Harry sauntered into the library and saw Draco sitting at his favourite table. Truth to tell, he was a bit surprised to see the blonde since Draco had taken to helping Severus brew potions every day. Harry ambled over to the table and sat down across from Draco.

"Hey, Draco. Whatcha reading?"

Draco rolled his eyes at Harry's obvious cheerfulness. "A book about becoming an animagus. Severus said he would help me learn after I read the book."

"So what's your animal form?" asked Harry curiously. He honestly didn't see why Draco would need Severus' help. All it required was a little meditation and research. How hard was that?

Draco raised his eyebrows. "I don't know yet. Severus hasn't cast the spell to show me."

Harry blinked in surprise. What in Merlin's name was Draco talking about? "What spell? I didn't need a spell to become an animagus."

It was Draco's turn to be surprised. "You're an animagus? When did you learn to do that?"

"A couple of weeks ago," said Harry slowly. He looked at the book Draco was reading and shook his head. Going over to the bookcase, he pulled out the book he'd used to become an animagus and carried it back to the table. "That's the book I used. It was fairly simple to follow."

Draco looked at the book for a moment before opening it. Quickly flipping through the pages until he reached the chapter on animagus transformations, Draco read the chapter with growing disbelief. "Meditation, recognition, and transformation? That's it? That's all you did to become an animagus?"

"Yeah. Like I said, it was fairly easy to follow," said Harry.

"So what's your animagus form," asked Draco suspiciously.

"Oh, I'm an Earth Drake," said Harry absently, flipping idly through the pages of the book Draco had been reading.

"What? But that's supposed to be impossible! Drakes are magical creatures," sputtered Draco.

"I know, but I think it may have something to do with being Lucius' mate," said Harry.

Draco thought that over for a moment. "You may be right. As mates, your magic naturally complements each other."

"Wanna see?" asked Harry with a grin.

"Yes," said Draco.

Harry crossed to the centre of the room and transformed into his drake form. As Draco watched in awe, Harry's form suddenly shrank and disappeared. He'd been practising that move ever since the locket heist at the Ministry.

"Harry?" Draco searched the room intently, trying to catch sight of the small drake. He gave an undignified squeak when a puff of air hit his neck and whirled around only to find air. However, Harry suddenly shimmered into view, causing Draco to stumble back a step.

The drake huffed in laughter and transformed back. "So, what do you think? Was that cool or what?"

"I didn't know drakes could alter their size like that or become invisible," said Draco softly.

"Lucius showed me that trick," said Harry proudly. "Are you going to try it?"

"Sure, why not," said Draco. He sat back down and settled comfortably in his chair. Severus had been teaching him Occlumency lately, so he started meditating the way the Potions' Master had taught him. Clearing everything out of his mind, he thought about what his animagus form should be. To his surprise, an image of sleek, golden scales and white, feathered wings began to form. Startled at the image, Draco broke his meditation.

"What did you see?" asked Harry excitedly.

"Golden scales and white wings," said Draco softly. "I'm some kind of winged snake. Maybe an occamy?"

Harry hurried back to the bookcase and pulled down another book. Flipping quickly through the pages, he then pushed the book toward Draco. "Is this what you saw?"

Draco looked down and stared at the photo of the occamy Harry showed him. Draco sighed in disappointment and shook his head. "No, I had feathered wings."

Harry hummed thoughtfully and went back to perusing the book. He suddenly giggled, causing Draco to glance at him suspiciously. Harry ignored the look, though, and pushed the book back toward Draco. "Does that look more like it?"

Draco looked down at the book and gasped in surprise. It was a photo of a silver snake with white feathered wings, two legs, and a barbed tail. "That's it!" He looked at the next page to see what the creature was and scowled, finally realising what had caused Harry's giggles. The creature was called a mini-wyve or fairy wyvern. "Ha ha. Very funny, Potter."

Harry just laughed again. "Now that you know what you are, try to transform. Just pull the image of your animagus form to the front of your mind and focus your magic on achieving that form."

Draco gave Harry a sceptical look but did as he was told. Taking a deep breath, Draco closed his eyes and focussed on transforming. A moment later, golden scales formed across his skin, and his body began to shrink and become serpentine, his wings appearing a second later.

Harry beamed proudly at Draco, lifting the mini-wyve off the floor. "That was perfect, Draco."

Draco flicked his tongue out and flapped his wings, flying out of Harry's arms to zoom around the room. Harry grinned and transformed directly into his mini-drake form and chased after the mini-wyve. A game of aerial tag soon began. It was the most fun Harry had had in ages.

The game of tag was interrupted, though, by Severus. "Harry, what in Merlin's name are you doing? That is a mini-wyve. They're extremely poisonous."

Harry immediately transformed back and grinned at Severus. "I know, Severus, but..."

"Just stay here, and I'll get rid of it," said Severus sternly, stalking toward the mini-wyve. To his surprise, the creature shot passed him and curled around Harry's shoulders.

"I tried to tell you, Severus. He won't hurt me because this is Draco," said Harry as he stroked Draco's wings soothingly. "Show him, Draco."

The mini-wyve slowly uncurled from Harry's shoulders and flew to the brunette's side. The creature suddenly began to transform, revealing a grinning blonde. "I did it, Severus. How cool was that? And it was so easy, too."

"But how?" asked Severus.

"Harry showed me," said Draco, missing the flash of hurt that crossed Severus' face. Harry didn't, though.

"I see," said Severus softly. "In that case, I have a few potions that require my attention. Excuse me." He turned and left, leaving a bemused Draco and a guilty Harry behind.

"I need to ask him a quick question. I'll be right back," said Harry. He ran from the room, trying to catch Severus. He finally caught up with the other man just as he reached his potions lab. "Severus, wait."

"What is it, Potter?" snapped Severus, glowering angrily at he brunette..

"I'm sorry," said Harry quietly. "I didn't realise I was stepping on your toes by helping Draco."

"You didn't step on any toes," snapped Severus. "I don't care what you do with your spare time."

Harry sighed. "I just wanted to apologise, that's all. I'm sorry if I hurt you with my actions." He turned to leave, but Severus' voice stopped him.

"Apology accepted."

Harry nodded briefly and walked away.

Severus watched him walk off with a bemused look on his face. He honestly didn't know how Harry always managed to get under his skin like that. It was hard to stay mad at the brunette when Harry was so sincere in his actions. Besides, no harm was done. Severus could still spend time with his godson. After all, Draco loved potions almost as much as he did.

Lucius headed for the library since Harry spent an exorbitant amount of time in that room. However, Draco was the only one in the room. "Draco, have you seen Harry?"

"He should be back in a minute. He had to talk to Severus about something," said Draco nonchalantly. He looked up at his father and grinned proudly. "I completed my first animagus transformation."

"Really? What is your animagus form?" asked Lucius curiously.

Draco blushed slightly and muttered, "I'm a mini-wyve."

"Also known as a fairy wyvern," said Harry impishly, leaning casually against the door frame.

"Dammit, Potter, don't call me that," snapped Draco indignantly, glaring at the brunette. "It's undignified."

Harry just smiled innocently. "But, Draco, you're such a cute fairy wyvern."

"That's it. Next time I transform, I'm going to bite you," said Draco sullenly, pouting slightly.

"That's no big deal," said Harry dismissively. He grinned cheekily. "It's your tail that's poisonous."

Lucius watched the exchange with a fond smile. It was nice to see his mate and his son getting along together for once. Walking over to the brunette, he took Harry's hands in his. "I need to speak privately with you, if you don't mind."

"Sure," said Harry. He wondered what Lucius needed to talk about. Had one of the house-elves reported Voldemort's activities?

"Good. We'll take this to my study then." Lucius looked back toward Draco. "Congratulations, Draco. I'm proud of you."

Draco blinked in surprise before a wide smile curled his lips. That was the first time his father had said he was proud of him in years. His smiled slipped slightly, though, when he saw his father pat his pocket nervously, seeing the outline of a small jewellery box. Lucius was going to propose to Potter. Draco honestly didn't know how he felt about that.

Draco looked at Harry and realised that despite their previous differences, Harry had become his friend. Not just a friend, though. Harry was a true friend, someone who liked him for who he really was. Looking at his father's relaxed visage, Draco decided that he was happy for them. Harry had just best accept the proposal, or else. Nobody hurt his father and lived to tell the tale.

"Hey, Draco? We should play aerial tag again sometime. Maybe this time we can get Lucius to join the game," said Harry playfully.

"We'll do that," said Draco.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Severus stirred the potion twice and reached for the dragon's blood. As he tipped the phial over, a sharp pain shot through his left arm. Cursing under his breath, he quickly set the phial aside and put out the fire underneath the cauldron. The potion was ruined, but cleanup could wait until he got back.

Severus hurriedly packed several phial of the latent inheritance potion, knowing it would mean his death if he left them. Grabbing his robes and mask, Severus left the safe house and apparated to the meeting. He mentally groaned, though, when he saw the utter fury on the Dark Lord's face. This meeting would not go well at all.

Voldemort glared at his followers. "Severus, have you found the traitors yet?"

Severus moved forward and bowed before the Dark Lord. "No, milord. I've been unable to find a trace of either Malfoy."

"Crucio!" Voldemort grinned viciously at the screams he pulled from the stoic Potions Master. "And Potter? What news of him?"

Severus panted in pain and tried to control his trembling limbs. "Nothing, milord. He seems to be missing, as well. The Order is searching for him also."

Voldemort growled in fury. "Crucio!" After several long, agonising moments, Voldemort released the spell. "I want that boy found, Severus. Do not fail me again. I won't be so lenient next time." Whirling away from Severus, he snapped his fingers imperiously.

Bellatrix grinned madly and stood beside Severus.

"Severus, the potion," said Voldemort shortly.

Severus withdrew one of the potion phials and handed it to the Dark Lord. Voldemort looked at the phial and then looked at Bellatrix. Severus turned his head to also look at Bellatrix, but a hand suddenly shoved him forward.

"Look, another volunteer," hissed Voldemort smugly. Gripping Severus' jaw in one hand, he forced the other man to drink the potion. Once Severus had swallowed the potion, Voldemort released him and watched avidly as the other man fell to the floor, gasping and writhing in pain. After a few moments, Severus abruptly stilled. Voldemort grinned and turned to address his other followers. "It seems the potion is deadly to those who have no magical creature blood. Pity Severus didn't know that. Bellatrix, dispose of him."

Bellatrix cackled madly and levitated Severus' body before stalking out of the room with the Potions Master's body trailing in her wake. Once she reached the forest outside of the manor, Bellatrix dropped Severus unceremoniously to the ground. She turned to leave when a soft growl came from behind her. Bellatrix slowly turned around and saw Severus crouched on the ground, red eyes focussed on her.

"Stupefy!" she shouted desperately, but she was too late. The spell completely missed Severus. Before she could shout another spell, Severus ripped her wand out of her hand and sank his teeth into her throat, drinking down the fresh supply of blood greedily.

Severus didn't kill her, though. As driven by bloodlust as he was, he still returned enough of his human mind to realise that he still needed her alive. Instead, he drank enough to greatly weaken Bellatrix and put her under thrall, giving her just a taste of his blood to seal the spell. She would obey him unconditionally, and no one would be the wiser.

Bellatrix's eyes flashed red before returning to their normal colour, signifying that the spell was successful. Now Severus would be able to control her even at a distance. Severus nodded in satisfaction and stepped away from her.

"Obliviate!" Bellatrix's eyes glazed over. "Bellatrix, you will return to the Dark Lord and report my death. You incinerated my body and buried the ashes."

Bellatrix woodenly turned and headed back toward the manor. As she disappeared into the manor, Severus fell to his knees as realisation of what he'd become hit him. He was a vampire. Even now he could feel the gnawing in his gut from his desperate need of blood. He would have to leave the safe house. It was too dangerous for him to stay. He could hurt, or kill, someone because of his constant bloodlust.

With a weary sigh, Severus got to his feet and apparated back to the safe house. He would have to sneak in to get his belongings and get out quickly. Creeping stealthily through the house, Severus hurried into his room only to freeze in shock.

"What are you doing in here?"

As Harry began to follow Lucius from the library, he suddenly stopped and cocked his head to the side as if looking at some distant object. A moment later, he went back into the library and walked to last bookshelf, blindly grabbing a book from the second shelf. As Draco watched in bemusement, he flipped quickly through the pages and stopped, blinking slowly out of his daze. Harry looked curiously at the page and just knew that the potion would be needed soon.

"Draco, can you brew this correctly?"

Draco took the book and looked down at the page, gasping in surprise. "Why the bloody hell do we need a bloodlust suppressant? We don't know any vampires."

"Can you brew it or not?" asked Harry impatiently.

Draco scowled and read the instructions. "Yes, I can. Now tell me why we need it."

"To help a vampire, of course. Start immediately. He'll be here within the hour." With that said, Harry left a stunned Draco behind as he hurried to catch up with Lucius.

"What kept you?" asked Lucius as soon as Harry rushed into the study. Nervous about his upcoming proposal, he hadn't noticed the brunette's absence until he'd reached the study. By then, he heard Harry approaching, so he sat down in his favourite armchair to hide his nervousness.

"Oh, I just needed to ask Draco to do a favour for me," said Harry nonchalantly. He walked toward Lucius and sat down on the sofa, staring at Lucius expectantly. "So what did you want to talk about? Did one of the house-elves have news to report?"

"Yes, actually," said Lucius slowly. "Toffee reported that Hufflepuff's cup is currently ensconced in the Lestrange vault at Gringotts."

Harry sat back with a scowl. "Well don't that just bugger all. It'll be damn near impossible to reach it." He looked back up at Lucius. "Any ideas? You do seem to have a knack for stealthy retrievals."

Lucius smiled slightly at the comment. "Not yet, but I'm sure we'll think of something. We always do."

"Was that what you were so nervous about?" asked Harry innocently. "Yeah, it was a little disappointing, but this Voldemort we're talking about. He never makes things easy for me."

Lucius abruptly stood and pulled Harry to his feet. Then he dropped to one knee and pulled out the ring box, holding it up toward Harry. "Harry, will you do me the honour of marrying me in formal bonding ceremony? I-I know we haven't been together long- a month, in fact- but I do love you, and I wish nothing more than to spend the rest of my life with you. And before you ask, the fact that I'm a Frost Drake and you're my mate may have started the relationship, but my feelings for you have only deepened the longer I've gotten to know you."

Harry stared down at Lucius in shock. Honestly, he'd never expected this from Lucius. Considering the fact that he was merely a half-blood, he'd figured the drake bond would be all Lucius would want. But here Lucius was offering Harry his entire world. How could Harry say no to that?

At Harry's continued silence, Lucius sighed. "Maybe I..."

Harry quickly covered Lucius' mouth with his hand to stop the rest of his sentence. "Yes, Lucius. The answer is yes."

Lucius smirked and took the ring, sliding it gently on Harry's ring finger. He then placed a soft kiss on Harry's knuckles and climbed back to his feet.

Harry grinned impishly up at him. "Was that what had you so worried?"

Lucius turned his nose up in the air. "I don't know what you're talking about."

Harry just smiled. "Hey, I thought we were supposed to seal this deal with kiss. You're slacking in you duties, mate."

"I guess I need to remedy that then, don't I," murmured Lucius. He pulled Harry close and captured his mate's smiling lips in a deep kiss.

Harry quickly responded to the kiss, pressing his body closer to Lucius, the waves of lust and love coming from the blonde igniting his own. Lucius growled softly and pushed Harry against the wall, devouring his mate's mouth voraciously. He suddenly lifted Harry off his feet, pulling the brunette's legs around his hips.

Feeling Lucius' thick arousal against his own, Harry moaned softly and wrapped his legs more tightly around Lucius. Lucius responded by thrusting against Harry, pulling another loud moan from the brunette. Lucius ripped his mouth away from Harry's clinging lips and trailed enticing kisses down the brunette's throat.

"Lucius," gasped Harry, head leaning weakly against the wall. Another hard thrust had Harry keening softly, hands gripping Lucius' shoulders fiercely.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Harry blinked dazedly and looked at the door uncomprehendingly. Lucius growled at his mate's distraction and pulled Harry into another consuming kiss, thrusting steadily against the brunette. The renewed assault to his senses quickly sent Harry over the edge, and he came with a muffled scream, dragging Lucius along with him.

"Dammit, Potter, you asked me to brew this potion, and here it is. What the bloody hell do I do with it now?" yelled Draco through the door.

"Sev's potion. Needs it now," muttered Harry, pushing weakly against Lucius.

Lucius growled and reluctantly released Harry. As Harry headed immediately toward the door, Lucius muttered a quick cleansing charm and followed the dazed brunette. Harry opened the door and took the phial from Draco.

Conjuring a goblet, Harry poured the potion into the cup and handed it back to Draco. As Draco watched in confusion, Harry cast a cutting hex on his arm and allowed his blood to drip into the goblet. The sight of his mate's blood quickly brought Lucius out of his bemusement.

"What the hell are you doing?" Lucius grabbed Harry's arm and healed the cut, scowling down at his reckless mate.

"It's for Severus. It will help with his bloodlust," said Harry calmly.

"What are you talking about?" asked Draco. "Severus isn't a vampire."

"He is now," said Harry. He took the goblet back from Draco and stepped around the young blonde. "He'll be here in just a few minutes, and he'll need this immediately." With that said, he calmly carried the goblet to Severus' room to wait for the new vampire.

"If Severus is a vampire, there is no way in hell I'm letting Harry face him alone," growled Lucius, stalking after his fearless mate.

"Wait!" cried Draco. When Lucius stopped with a scowl, Draco asked, "So what did he say?"

Lucius smirked smugly. "He said yes, of course."

Draco grinned as Lucius disappeared down the stairs. It looked like Potter would live to see another day, after all.

Harry looked curiously around Severus' bedroom. He'd never been in this room before, but it was so Severus. There potions' books littering the shelves of the bookshelf as well as several potions of various colours on the desk. What was surprising, though, were the numerous Stephen King and Dean Koontz novels amongst the academic books.

"No wonder the bastard's so damn scary," muttered Harry, pushing a copy of The Stand back onto the shelf. "He reads these for inspiration."

Lucius laughed at Harry's comments and sat down at the desk. "Nah, he didn't need those books to become scary. It's genetic."

Harry just smiled wryly and sat down on the bed, cradling the goblet carefully. A few minutes later, the door slowly opened, and a dark figure crept inside only to freeze in shock.

"What are you doing in here?" Severus demanded.

"I brought you this," said Harry placidly, holding up the goblet.

The scent of blood hit Severus hard. He snatched the goblet out of Harry's hand and gulped it down before he was even aware he'd done so. Almost immediately, the gnawing hunger in his stomach ebbed away, leaving a warm, sated feeling. Severus looked at the empty goblet blankly before turning his astonished gaze toward Harry.

"How did you know?"

Harry shrugged uncomfortably. "I don't know. I just did. It was like when we left the Dursley's on my birthday. I just knew we needed to leave right then."

"Well that certainly explains a few things," said Lucius thoughtfully. "You've always been extraordinarily lucky. I'd guess you're mildly precognitive. Just enough to get hints and feelings about certain things, though."

"Yeah, whatever. What exactly was in this goblet?" asked Severus impatiently. He was worried about any possible side effects from whatever was added to the blood.

"A bloodlust suppressant and a bit of my blood," said Harry with a shrug. He suddenly grinned impishly. "Don't worry, though. Draco brewed the potion."

"Thank Merlin for that," said Severus, sighing in relief. "I'd hate to survive the Latent Inheritance Potion only to die from being poisoned by Potter's ineptitude at potions."

Harry scowled at Severus. "You could show a little more gratitude, you know. I didn't have to do this for you at all." He abruptly climbed to his feet and stalked to the door. "I don't know why I even bother. It's a complete waste of time."

"Thank you."

Harry stopped short at the soft voice, looking back at Severus in disbelief. "What did you say?"

Severus scowled slightly. "Thank you, Harry. I really do appreciate this. I thought I would have to leave the safe house because I couldn't control my bloodlust. Thanks to you, that is no longer an issue."

Harry could see how hard it was for Severus to express his gratitude so bluntly, especially to the son of his school rival. "You're welcome." With a nod to Severus and shy smile to Lucius, Harry left the room.

As the sounds of Harry's footsteps faded into the distance, Severus turned toward Lucius with a raised brow. "You asked him to marry you?"

Lucius just gave Severus a look of smug satisfaction. "Yes, and he agreed."

Severus snorted. "I figured you would just perform the drake bond."

The smug look fell away. "I think maybe Harry thought that, too. Even now he has a hard time believing just how much he means to me."

Severus sighed. "Despite what I wanted to believe about the brat, I realise now that Harry was horribly neglected as a child. Even when I saw into his memories, I willfully ignored the signs right in front of me. You do have an advantage, though."

"Yeah, and what's that?"

"Harry's empathic. As long as you really care for him, he'll feel it," said Severus softly. "And that's the best reassurance he could have."

Lucius smiled and clapped Severus on the shoulder. "I see Harry's grown on you, too."

Severus scowled at Lucius. "I'll deny it to my dying day."

Lucius just laughed. "You're a vampire. That day has come and gone, my friend."


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Severus stirred the potion twice and lowered the heat to let it simmer. The bloodlust suppressant had to be taken once a week and it had to be fresh. Once it simmered for five more minutes, he would just need a few drops of fresh blood to add to it.

The timer went off just as someone knocked on the door. Severus quickly ladled the potion into a goblet and went to answer the door. He was surprised to see Harry waiting nervously for the door to open.

"What do you want, Potter?" he asked curtly.

Harry looked passed Severus' shoulder and saw the cooling potion. He looked back toward Severus and immediately noticed the red glint in the other man's eyes. "Well, I actually came to talk to you, but obviously you need more blood first." Harry pushed Severus out of the way and stepped into the room.

Severus sputtered indignantly and growled at the impertinent brat. "Potter, get out of..." The scent of Harry's blood hit Severus' senses, and his eyes turned fully red. He started toward Harry, intending on grabbing the goblet of blood-suppressant from the teen, but his eyes fell on the cut on Harry's arms. Instead of taking the goblet in Harry's hand, Severus grabbed the teen's arm and placed his lips over the cut on the slender limb, sucking greedily at the bleeding wound.

Harry, startled at Severus' reaction, tried to pull his arm away, but a low growl from the vampire stopped that right away. Harry sighed in relief when Severus slowly released his arm only to yelp in surprise when Severus suddenly buried his face in Harry's neck. Then Severus' tongue licked across the vein in his neck.

"Severus! Stop!" Harry tried to pull away, but Severus' grip was too strong. He flinched as Severus' sharp teeth scraped against his skin and silently cried out for Lucius. He couldn't believe this was happening.

Severus growled again, and pulled Harry closer. His entire focus was narrowed down to the sweet scent of Harry's blood and the small taste of ambrosia he'd had. As he started to bite into the succulent flesh beneath his teeth, the door burst open. Severus turned to face the intruder with an enraged growl, pushing Harry protectively behind him, only to find himself face to face with a furious Lucius.

Lucius stalked toward Severus with an angry snarl. "What the hell do you think you're doing, Severus?" He was on his way to speak to Severus when the scent of his mate's terror had hit him.

Severus just bared his teeth at the blonde and growled, keeping his body between Lucius and Harry.

Lucius finally noticed that Severus' eyes were completely red and saw the goblet of blood-suppressant potion. Looking passed Severus, he scowled when he saw the cut on Harry's arm and the scratches on the teen's neck. Grabbing the potion, he waved it in front of Severus, tempting him once again with the scent of blood.

Severus caught the scent of Harry's blood and snatched the goblet from Lucius, gulping it down quickly and growling appreciatively at the delicious flavour of blood. Almost immediately, the red began to fade from his eyes, and his awareness returned. It was then that he realised just what he'd almost done. He whirled around quickly, causing Harry to flinch away, and stared at the teen in horror.

Lucius, seeing the fear on Harry's face, pushed passed Severus and gathered the trembling teen into his arms. "Shh, Harry. It's all right." He continued to murmur soothingly to Harry, trying to calm his mate.

"Dear Merlin, I can't stay here," whispered Severus, completely horrified at what he'd done. "I could have killed him." He turned around and frantically started to gather his belongings.

Harry's trembling finally eased, and he looked hesitantly toward Severus. The other man's face was etched with horror and misery, and Harry couldn't stand to see that look on Severus' face. Yes, Severus had scared the shit out of him, but it was technically his own fault. Besides, it could have been a lot worse. He'd just have to be more careful in the future.

"Severus, stop. I don't want you to leave."

Severus suddenly growled and whirled to face Harry. "Well, you should. Do you realise what almost happened? I... I could have killed you."

"It was my fault, though. I'm the idiot who cut himself with a hungry vampire in the room," said Harry with a deprecating smile. "Please don't leave because of my mistake."

"What I would like to know is why you were here in the first place," said Lucius, frowning down at Harry. Despite the change in subject, though, he made a silent vow that Severus wouldn't be alone with Harry again. Severus' reaction wasn't just because of hunger. Lucius was quite sure it had something to do with Harry in particular.

Harry shrugged. "I wanted to ask Severus about a vampire's thrall."

"Why would you need to know about that?" asked Lucius curiously.

Harry ignored Lucius' question and turned toward Severus. "How effective is a vampire's thrall? Is it stronger than the Imperius Curse? Do you have to be in close proximity to the victim?"

Severus blinked at the sudden barrage of questions. "A vampire's thrall is much stronger than the Imperius Curse because and exchange of blood is used to seal the spell."

Harry frowned thoughtfully. "And distance?"

"Doesn't matter," said Severus. He scowled at Harry suspiciously. "Why do you need to know this?"

"Bellatrix Lestrange has something I need, but it's in her Gringott's vault and out of my reach at the moment. I was hoping that you could possibly put her under your thrall and command her to retrieve it for me," said Harry sweetly.

Severus continued to stare at Harry suspiciously. "Does that something have to do with the task Dumbledore left you?"

"Yes," said Harry. He looked at Severus expectantly. "So can you?"

A smug smirk crossed Severus' face. "I already have. It was her unfortunate duty to dispose of my body after I'd taken the Laten Inheritance Potion. It was just her bad luck that I wasn't actually dead, and new vampires are notoriously hungry, after all."

"In that case, I'm surprised you didn't kill her," said Lucius.

"It would have been no great loss if he had killed her," said Harry dismissively. He hated Bellatrix Lestrange almost as much as he hated Voldemort. "Besides, he could always thrall the Lestrange brothers if it came down to it."

"Bloodthirsty little thing, aren't you?" asked Lucius teasingly. "I can't say that I blame you, though. Bellatrix has always been a vicious bitch."

"She killed Sirius," said Harry quietly. "She killed her own cousin and felt no remorse about it. She even laughed as he fell through the veil. That is just unforgivable."

Severus abruptly broke the sombre mood. "She is a vicious bitch, but she'll get you what you need."

"She has Hufflepuff's cup," said Harry bluntly. "That's all I need from her."

"You'll have it by the end of the week," promised Severus.

Harry smiled softly. "Thanks, Severus."

"Why don't you go on and eat breakfast? I need to have a word with Severus," said Lucius, guiding Harry toward the door..

Harry looked at Lucius curiously, wandering what he needed to talk to Severus about, but nodded his agreement and left the room.

As soon as Harry was gone, Lucius turned to Severus with a scowl. "What was that all about earlier, Severus?"

Severus glared back at the blonde. "You heard Harry. I hadn't taken my blood-lust suppressor, and he cut his arm in front of me. You can't be that surprised."

Lucius looked at Severus speculatively for a moment and sighed. "You really don't know, do you? I've seen how starved vampires react to blood, Severus, and that wasn't your reaction this morning. You reacted like a vampire defending his mate when I came into the room."

Severus started in surprise and stared at Lucius in dismay. "Vampires don't have mates."

"Vampires don't have destined mates," corrected Lucius. "They choose their own mates, and your vampire side has chosen Harry. You wouldn't have responded in such a way if you hadn't."

"No," denied Severus. "There is no possible way I could have even remotely chosen Harry as my mate. It's absolutely impossible. He's your mate."

"Yes, he is," said Lucius. "But part of you wants him for your own. Hell, Severus, you pushed him behind you to face me. You instinctively tried to protect him from his own mate."

Severus sat down heavily on the edge of his bed. "This is a disaster waiting to happen. I need to leave. It would be best for everyone if I did."

Lucius sat down beside Severus. "No, Severus, it wouldn't."

"How can you be so calm about this?" snapped Severus. "What would have happened if you hadn't come down here? What if you're wrong about everything?"

Lucius sighed and transfigured a quill into a dagger. Pricking his finger, he held the bleeding digit up toward Severus. "Have a taste."

Severus slowly pulled Lucius' finger into his mouth, swallowing the slightly tangy blood that dripped into his mouth. It was then he realised the truth in Lucius' statements. Although the taste of Lucius' blood was pleasant, it didn't hold a candle to Harry's.

Jerking away from Lucius, Severus paced cagily around the room. "What do we do now? I highly doubt that you're willing to hand Harry over," he said sardonically.

Lucius snorted. "No, I'm not. Harry is mine. Unlike with you, Harry's my destined mate. No one else will do for me. You do have other options." He sighed softly and stood. "I suggest that only Draco and I donate blood for the time being, though. It won't be as satisfactory, of course, but it should suffice until you can find someone else as your mate."

Severus growled irritably. "Yeah, and what if it isn't enough? Too much could go wrong with this plan."

"It will have to do for now, Severus. We need you here," said Lucius. Of course, this probably wouldn't have happened if he'd already claimed Harry. Most vampires didn't poach on another's mate, but there were no guarantees even then.

Severus reluctantly nodded. It wasn't an ideal plan, but as Lucius said, it would suffice for now.

Draco jumped to his feet in shock when Harry walked into the dining room. "What the hell happened to you?"

Harry covered the scratches on his neck self-consciously and scowled at Draco. "Nothing. I'm fine."

Draco then saw the cut on Harry's arm and groaned. "Tell me you didn't do what I think you did." Harry blushed guiltily, and Draco sighed in exasperation. "You're an idiot, Harry," he said bluntly.

Harry rolled his eyes. "At times," he agreed. "Needless to say, I'll not be doing that again."

"What exactly happened?" asked Draco curiously, though he had a pretty good idea.

"Severus had just finished brewing the blood-suppressant potion, so I cut my arm to add the required blood. Instead of going for the potion, though, he went straight for my arm."

"That explains the arm," said Draco, "but what about the scratches on your neck?"

Harry frowned slightly and shrugged. "I'm really not sure what happened. One minute he's sucking on my arm, and the next his face is buried in my neck with his teeth scraping across my skin." He shrugged again. "Then Lucius showed up, and Severus pushed me behind him and growled at Lucius."

Draco was positively shocked by what he'd heard. "I've only heard of vampires reacting like that with their mates. You don't think...?"

"No," said Harry quickly. "That's ridiculous." Severus no longer hated him, but that didn't mean he actually liked him, much less anything more than that.

Draco nodded and smiled sheepishly. "Yeah, you're right. Severus would never choose you as his mate."

They burst into laughter, giggling at such a ridiculous notion.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: I've had a few requests to make this story a Lucius/Harry/Severus pairing. Check out my poll and tell me what you think.

Chapter 10

Bellatrix watched gleefully as Voldemort tortured another filthy muggle. A sudden scowl crossed her face. Ever since Snape's death, her lord had been on a rampage. Snape had been the only one who knew how to brew the Latent Inheritance Potion, so now her lord was denied his magical creature army.

_"Bellatrix." _

The word whispered in Bellatrix's head. Her eyes glazed over as the voice commanded all of her attention, the sounds around her fading into nothing.

_"Go to your Gringott's vault and retrieve the goblet the Dark Lord gave to you."_

Like a puppet on a string, Bellatrix silently slipped away from the meeting and apparated to the Leaky Cauldron. With single minded focus, she strode directly to the bank and ordered a goblin to take her to her vault, oblivious to the stares aimed at her. Once the goblin opened her vault door, she quickly grabbed the goblet and climbed back into the cart.

Griphook huffed in annoyance and steered the cart back to the lobby. Noting the blank look on the woman's face, he shook his head. Mistress Lestrange would be in for a rude awakening when she get back to the lobby. She may not have noticed the fearful looks from the other patrons, but he certainly had. He wouldn't be at all surprised to find Aurors waiting for them when they arrived.

As the cart slowed to a stop, Bellatrix climbed out of the cart and headed toward the lobby.

_"Turn left."_

Bellatrix immediately veered to the left and found herself in an empty room, or so she thought. A black shape separated from the shadows and stepped toward her.

_"Give me the goblet."_

Bellatrix held out the goblet, staring blankly at the dark form as the goblet disappeared into the darkness.

_"Go back to the lobby."_

Bellatrix obediently turned around and walked out of the room. As she walked into the lobby, though, the voice commanding her withdrew its presence. She stopped abruptly and blinked in surprise, taking in her surroundings in seconds. What the hell was she doing in Gringott's bank? It was then she noticed the Aurors surrounding her and reached for her wand, but it was too late. A stunner hit her in the back, and she fell into darkness.

HPHPHP

Severus apparated back to the safe house and went inside. That had been remarkably easy. And the fact that the bitch had been apprehended was just an added bonus. Severus headed directly for the library in search of Harry, figuring that would be the most likely place the teen would be. He was right, of course. There was Harry at his favourite table, reading quietly.

Severus silently moved toward Harry, slipping behind him unnoticed. As he neared the teen, he unconsciously breathed in Harry's delicious scent, biting back a moan as the wondrous smell ensnared his senses. Severus leaned closer to Harry, alerting the teen to his presence, and whispered, "I have the goblet you wanted."

Harry jerked in surprise, a shiver going down his back at the deep voice whispering in his ear. "S-Severus!" Then the words registered, and he turned to face the other man. However, he failed to realise just how close Severus was when he did so. Harry found himself nose to nose with the other man and started to pull back, but Severus leaned closer, so that their lips were barely touching.

"You smell so delicious, Harry. I just want to taste you all over," Severus growled softly, tongue flicking out to taste those petal soft lips.

"You can't," said Harry, bringing up his arms to push Severus away. "I'm Lucius' mate."

"You're my mate, too," snarled Severus, eyes flashing red as jealousy raged inside him. He grabbed Harry around the waist and pulled the teen closer, leaning down to claim the lips denying him.

Harry turned his head away to avoid the kiss and wriggled frantically, vainly trying to get his arms free. Severus wasn't deterred, though. He trailed his lips down Harry's neck, nipping the skin lightly to bring the blood closer to the surface. He wanted to mark his mate for the whole world to see.

Harry shuddered in pleasure at the tiny bites and once again tried to push Severus away. He needed to get away before it was too late. Severus' emotions were beginning to drown out his own, desire and possessiveness and some deeper emotion overshadowing everything else. Severus suddenly bit down hard on Harry's neck, pulling a pained gasp from the teen's throat, but the pain didn't last long. The pain was immediately washed away by a sharp jolt of euphoric pleasure.

Severus licked across the bloody wound, watching in satisfaction as the bite healed with a noticeable scar. He brushed his fingers across the new scar, causing Harry to moan softly at the gentle pleasure of the touch. Now he just had to give Harry some of his blood to complete the new bond.

However, before he could do so, an animalistic growl sounded in the library, distracting Severus and giving Harry a chance to pull away. As Severus growled in response to the challenge, Harry stumbled clumsily away from the vampire, flinching in pain at the sudden onslaught of rage that filled his senses. Trying to regain his balance, he saw Lucius rush across the room, attacking Severus with a snarl of fury. Bombarded with the rage of both men, Harry fell to his knees, covering his ears and closing his eyes in a useless attempt to block them out.

Draco, who had followed his father into the library, watched in fascinated horror as his father and his godfather tore into each other with vicious determination. He heard a soft whimper and looked over at Harry to see the other teen covering his ears and crying softly. Draco carefully edged toward the brunette and gently pulled Harry to his feet, guiding the shivering teen out of the room.

Draco pulled Harry to the study and pushed him down onto the sofa. Harry didn't even seem to be aware of Draco's presence and just stared blankly at the fireplace. Draco sighed and grabbed his father's decanter of brandy, pouring a glass and handing it to Harry.

"Drink up. It will make you feel better."

Harry obediently took a drink only to sputter and cough as the brandy burned a trail down his throat. "What the hell was that?" Jolted back to awareness by the fiery liquor.

Draco smirked. "That was brandy. You're supposed to sip, not gulp it."

Harry glared at Draco and set the glass aside. "You could have warned me."

Draco shrugged lightly. "What's the point? You were in shock and wouldn't have noticed even if I'd said something."

Harry looked at Draco sharply and gasped as the memories of what had happened in the library flooded his brain. "Lucius and Severus! We have to stop them!"

Draco crossed his arms and shook his head. "You're absolutely insane if you think I'm going to get in between a vampire and a drake while they're fighting. What the hell happened anyway? Father was absolutely furious."

Harry flushed guiltily and looked down at his hands.

Draco saw the guilt in Harry's eyes and glared at the brunette, coming to his own conclusions. "You betrayed my father? How could you?"

Harry flinched at the questions and pulled his feet up onto the sofa, hugging his knees to his chest. "It wasn't intentional, Draco."

"Not intentional," scoffed Draco. "And I guess that makes everything all right? That's a lie and you know it."

Harry could clearly feel Draco's anger, and it fed his own. He jumped to his feet and glared at the blonde. "What would you know about it? You're not the one who has to deal with feeling everyone's emotions every single day. You have no idea what it's like to be so overwhelmed with someone else's feelings that you can't distinguish it from your own. You don't know how..." Harry broke off the rest of his sentence and took a deep breath.

"Is that what happened?" asked Draco softly, watching as Harry visibly tried to calm himself down.

Harry looked away from the blonde. Yes, Severus' emotions had overwhelmed him, but he also couldn't deny the pleasure he'd felt before that point. He'd always found Severus attractive in a dark, dangerous sort of way, but the man's own attitude had made it easy to ignore.

Before Harry could answer, though, the study door opened. A very bruised and bloody Lucius walked into the room and headed straight for Harry. Harry flinched as Lucius' anger battered his senses but stayed in place. He deserved whatever punishment Lucius planned to give him. Lucius raised his arm, and Harry closed his eyes in resignation, bracing himself for the blow to come.

Lucius, reaching out to grab Harry's shoulders, saw the resigned acceptance on Harry's face, and all of his anger just drained away. No matter how angry he was, he would never hurt his mate. He couldn't blame Harry for thinking that, though. Not after the way he'd reacted when Harry's scar had disappeared. Lucius wrapped his arms around Harry's waist and pulled him close, murmuring softly to calm the teen.

Harry slowly relaxed in Lucius' arms, burrowing his face in the blonde's neck. The hot anger was completely gone, replaced by worry and a faint sadness. The sadness made Harry feel even worse. He'd never meant to hurt Lucius like that.

"I'm sorry," whispered Harry hoarsely.

Lucius sent Draco out of the room with a pointed look. Once they were alone again, Lucius pushed Harry down onto the sofa and sat down beside him. Pulling Harry back into his arms, he stroked the brunette's hair gently as he talked.

"It's not your fault, Harry. If anyone is to blame, it's me. I knew that Severus' vampire half had chosen you as his mate. I foolishly believed that as long as you didn't donate blood anymore, he would choose someone else. I should have known better."

Harry absently rubbed the scar on his neck as he listened to Lucius, completely unaware of his actions. Lucius, on the other hand, noticed the unconscious movement and turned Harry's head to the side, growling when he saw the vampire's mark. Harry tried to flinch away from him, but he tightened his hand in Harry's hair, not hard enough to hurt him but firm enough to keep him still.

"He marked you," snarled Lucius. "Did you take any of his blood?"

"N-No," gasped Harry.

Lucius slowly released his hold on Harry's hair and took a deep breath, nodding curtly. "Then the bond is not complete."

Harry looked at Lucius sharply. "What does that mean exactly?"

Lucius sighed and stared at Harry intently. "It means that Severus has initiated a mating bond with you. With the bond incomplete, he still has a chance to find another mate." He looked away from Harry and muttered, "Though that's extremely unlikely."

"So what will happen now?" asked Harry hesitantly. "Is Severus going to leave?"

"Is that what you want?" asked Lucius calmly.

Harry looked down at his hands and shook his head. "Severus shouldn't be forced to leave because of me."

"If he stays, he'll only try to complete the bond, Harry," said Lucius.

"W-Would he stop if we..." Harry trailed off, unsure of how to continue. He wanted to bond with Lucius, but he didn't want it to happen just to deter Severus' claim.

"If we bond together?"

Harry nodded.

Lucius sighed and stood up, pacing across the room restlessly. "I don't know, Harry. He's already marked you. Our bonding probably wouldn't deter him in the least. In fact, it could make things worse."

"What do you suggest we do then?" asked Harry. "I can't avoid him completely. We live in the same house, Lucius."

"I know that," said Lucius irritably. "If you had just stayed away from him none of this would have happened."

Harry jerked back as if struck. "I can remedy that right now." He climbed to his feet and stalked to the fireplace, grabbing a handful of floo powder and tossing it into the flames.

Lucius grabbed Harry's arm and pulled him away from the flames. "What in Merlin's name are you doing?"

Harry jerked his arm free and glared at Lucius. "I'm leaving, Lucius. This entire situation was obviously my fault, so my leaving should rectify that mistake. Right, Lucius?"

Lucius growled and grabbed Harry's shoulders. "I didn't mean it that way. I just don't know what to do right now."

Harry sighed and ran his hand through his hair. "I really think I should leave." Lucius started to protest, but Harry cut him off. "Just for a few days. Long enough for everyone to cool down and decide what we should do. I'll be at Grimmauld Place, so I should be perfectly safe." He gently pulled out of Lucius' grip and walked back to the fireplace. "You'll be able to firecall, but you won't be able to floo over. Let me know what's been decided."

Harry stepped into the flames and called out his destination. Stepping out of the fireplace at Grimmauld Place, he looked at the dismal surroundings with a pang of sadness. Harry quickly blocked the floo, allowing only firecalls, and went to bed. Sleep would be long in coming tonight. Lucius' presence at night had comforted him more than he was willing to admit, and now that comfort was denied to him.

With a soft sigh, Harry dimmed the lights and tried to get some sleep. It was just a few days. Surely they could work something out within that time. He already wanted to go home.


	11. Chapter 11

Chapter 11

Sunlight was peeking through the windows when Severus next awoke. He picked himself off the floor with a pained grunt, muscles aching from sleeping on the library floor all night. Despite the advantages of the enhanced strength and speed from his vampire heritage, a battle with an enraged drake was no trifling matter. Although he had managed to hold his own for most of the battle, Lucius had eventually gained the upper hand when he had partially transformed, his hands becoming deadly claws, tough scales covering his skin, and teeth growing longer and sharper.

With a frustrated growl, Severus started toward the door, but a flash of gold in the corner of his eye stopped him short, reminding him of why he'd come in here in the first place. Hufflepuff's goblet sat innocently on the table where he'd left, tipped carelessly over onto its side. Severus grabbed the goblet off the table and stalked out of the library. The cursed thing needed to be destroyed, and Gryffindor's sword was in the study.

Stepping into the study, Severus was surprised to see Lucius asleep on the sofa, a half empty decanter of brandy on the end table. A smidgen of guilt wormed its way through him. Obviously, his actions yesterday had driven Harry and Lucius apart. With a heavy sigh, Severus grabbed the sword and left the study, heading for his bedroom.

Severus set the goblet down onto the floor and pierced the centre of the cup with the sword, wincing as a high-pitched scream assaulted his sensitive hearing. The horcrux now destroyed, he set the goblet on the shelf with the destroyed locket. With that taken care of, he headed to his potions cabinet and grabbed a hangover potion, quite certain that Lucius would need it when he eventually awoke.

A moment later, a knock sounded on his door. Severus opened the door, and Draco impatiently pushed his way inside. "Have you seen Harry? I went to wake him this morning, but he wasn't there."

Severus frowned in concern. "I haven't seen Harry this morning. I saw Lucius, but he was passed out on the sofa in the study."

"You don't think father made him leave, do you?" asked Draco softly.

"I wouldn't think so," said Severus slowly. "I can find out, though."

Severus stormed back to the study with Draco on his heels. Stepping into the room, he stalked over to the sofa and shook Lucius awake. When the blonde groaned in pain and squeezed his eyes shut, Severus pushed the hangover potion into Lucius' hands.

"Drink that."

Lucius raised the potion to his lips and gulped it down quickly, sighing in relief when the headache and nausea began to diminish. Once he could move without his head trying to explode, Lucius climbed to his feet and stretched his aching muscles. The sofa did not make a comfortable bed.

Severus scowled at the blonde and bluntly asked, "Where's Harry?"

Lucius froze, the events from yesterday rushing back to him, and sank heavily back down onto the sofa. "He left," said Lucius with a heavy sigh. "He said he would stay at Grimmauld Place for a few days to give everyone a chance to calm down."

"He left?" asked Draco incredulously. That didn't sound like something Harry would do. Harry didn't normally run away from fights, so there had to be some other reason. "Why? What did you say to him?"

"I told him that if he'd just stayed away from Severus none of this would have ever happened," said Lucius softly.

Draco scowled at his father. "But he didn't know..."

"That Severus wanted him as his mate? No, he didn't, so of course he wouldn't avoid Severus. I realise that, Draco. I was just frustrated and angry and spoke without thought," said Lucius bitterly.

"You said he went to Grimmauld Place?" asked Severus. He turned a speculative gaze on Lucius. "Why didn't you go after him?"

"He blocked the floo so that only firecalls can come through," said Lucius wearily.

"You could always apparate," said Severus.

"There are anti-apparition wards on the house, and I don't know the exact location to apparate outside of the house," said Lucius in exasperation. "If you'll recall, the last time I was at Grimmauld Place, I was in your pocket and didn't get a chance to see my surroundings."

"You can side-along, though, and I do know the exact location," said Severus calmly.

Lucius looked at Severus before turning toward Draco. "I need to have a word with Severus in private, Draco."

Draco scowled at his father, irritated at being excluded once again, and stalked out of the room, slamming the door shut behind him.

Severus glared at the door and rubbed his ear lightly. Vampire senses could be a right pain. As the silence stretched, he warily turned to face Lucius. "You wanted to talk, so talk."

"Leave Harry alone," said Lucius bluntly. "He's my mate. Not only that, he's my fiancé."

Severus sighed and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I can't, Lucius." He suddenly slammed his fist into the wall. "I told you from the very beginning that it was sheer foolishness for me to stay. You knew that my vampire half had chosen Harry as its mate. And now he bears my mark, and the drive to claim him completely practically consumes me. Don't ask me to stay away because it's too late for that."

Lucius growled at the reminder of Severus' mark on Harry. The fact that Severus had marked Harry first is what infuriated him most of all. It should be Lucius' mark Harry wore so prominently on his neck. However, as angry as he was at Severus for marking Harry, he was equally angry at himself. As Severus said, he'd known from the beginning the risks of allowing the vampire to stay.

Severus watched Lucius' internal struggle dispassionately. There were only two choices from this point. Either they battled to the death over Harry, or... they would have to learn to share. "Lucius, you need to make a choice."

Lucius scowled at Severus. "And what choice is that, Severus?"

"Try to kill me or learn to share Harry," said Severus bluntly.

Lucius growled. "That's not much of a choice, Severus."

"It's the only one you've got, Lucius. I won't give up my claim on Harry, and neither will you," said Severus. He walked to the study door and turned back. "I'm leaving for Grimmauld Place in an hour. Let me know your decision by then."

Lucius glared at the brunette as Severus walked out of the room. Merlin, what a choice.

Harry wearily climbed out of bed and headed downstairs for breakfast. As Kreacher set a plate of eggs, bacon, and toast in front of him, Harry fought to keep his eyes open, having tossed and turned all night. He took a bite of toast and almost choked when he heard the front door open. Creeping to the kitchen door, Harry peered into the darkness, trying to see who had just invaded his temporary sanctuary. He breathed a sigh of relief when the intruders spoke.

"Really, Ronald, we should have been here all along. We promised to help Harry with this task," said Hermione.

Ron scoffed. "I don't know why, Hermione. He's got Lucius bloody Malfoy to help him."

Hermione glared at her boyfriend. "So what? Harry's our best friend, and we promised to be there for him. Isn't that enough?"

Ron sighed and tried to placate his girlfriend. "Yeah, I guess. How do we contact him, though? All we know is that Malfoy whisked him away to some safe house somewhere."

"Or he could be right in front of you," said Harry dryly, leaning against the doorframe casually.

Hermione and Ron froze at the sound of his voice and stared at Harry in shock for a moment. "HARRY!!"

Harry grunted when his two best friends rushed toward him and grabbed him in a big three way hug. He couldn't help but grin as they pulled him back toward the kitchen. He hadn't realised just how much he'd missed them until now.

Hermione looked the brunette over and pushed Harry back into his chair. "For Merlin's sake, Harry, eat something. You're way too skinny. Hasn't Lucius been feeding you? Where is he anyway?"

Harry's happy smile faded and he sighed, listlessly picking at his toast. "Lucius is still at the safe house."

"And he let you come here by yourself? He does remember that there's a madman after you, right?" asked Hermione incredulously.

"Yes, Hermione, he does, and he's not particularly happy that I'm here, let me tell you. It's only for a few days, though, so I should be perfectly safe, especially now that you two are here," said Harry. "Why are you here? I thought you were in hiding."

"We couldn't just hide while you risked you life to save us," said Hermione. "We promised to help, remember?"

Harry cocked his head to the side and smiled. "I remember. Thanks, guys."

Ron suddenly gasped and jumped out of his chair, rushing toward Harry and tilting the brunette's head to the side. "What the bloody hell happened to you?"

Hermione saw the scarred bite on Harry's neck and gasped in surprise. "Is that what I think it is, Harry?"

"I don't know, Hermione. What do you think it is?" asked Harry irritably, jerking out of Ron's grip and crossing his arms stubbornly.

"I think it's a mating mark," said Hermione primly.

"It is," said Harry, rubbing the scar self-consciously.

Ron grimaced. "I don't want to hear about you and Lucius Malfoy shagging, if you don't mind."

Harry looked away and sighed wearily. "Lucius didn't do it."

Ron and Hermione gaped at Harry in surprise. Hermione finally cleared her throat and hesitantly asked, "Then who did?"

"Severus," said Harry softly. "Voldemort gave him the same potion he gave Lucius. Severus turned into a vampire."

"Oh, Harry," sighed Hermione. "Only you could end up being the mate of a drake and a vampire."

"I can't believe you let that greasy git touch you," said Ron, wrinkling his nose in disgust. "Lucius Malfoy was bad enough, but now you're shagging Snape, too?"

Hermione slapped Ron across the back of his head. "Shut up, Ron." She turned back and smiled at Harry encouragingly. "I have to say I'm a little surprised about this. Vampires and drakes are extremely possessive of their mates. It's amazing that they haven't killed each other yet."

Harry sighed miserably. "You have no idea, Hermione."

"What happened, mate?" asked Ron curiously.

Taking a deep breath, Harry told his friends everything that happened since he'd left the Burrow, Lucius and Severus' help in obtaining two of the horcruxes, Lucius' proposal, and the circumstances surrounding Severus' claiming bite. As his explanations drew to an end, Harry felt as if a great weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

Ron could only stare dumbstruck at Harry. "You're an animagus. That is so unfair!"

Hermione just snickered. "Well, I guess we know where your priorities lie, Ron." The smile faded, though, as she turned back toward Harry. "As glad as I am to see you, Harry, you know you can't run away from this. You need to tell them how you feel."

"How did you become an animagus so quickly? You didn't learn at school and just not tell me and Hermione, did you?" asked Ron.

Hermione rolled her eyes at Ron's single-mindedness.

"I don't know how I feel, though, Hermione. I'm so confused right now, it's not even funny. I don't know how I feel about Severus. Now that he's not so antagonistic, I actually like Severus. I respect him, and I can't deny that I find him attractive. I think I could grow to love him if given the chance. On the other hand, there's Lucius. I... I already do love him," said Harry softly.

"So tell them that," said Hermione, and Harry nodded in agreement.

"Can you teach me to become an animagus?" asked Ron.

Harry laughed. "Sure, Ron. Obviously, I'm not going to hear about anything else until I do."


	12. Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Harry sighed and pushed his book aside, reaching for another. He scowled at Ron when the redhead tossed his own book onto the floor and grumbled once again about having to research even though they weren't in school. He dearly wanted to take that book and smack his friend upside the head, but Hermione beat him to it.

Hermione slapped Ron on the back of the head and glared at him. "Honestly, Ron, it's your own fault we're having to do this. If you'd just sit still long enough to actually meditate, we wouldn't have to search for a spell or potion to tell you what your animagus form is."

"Ow, Hermione. Why do you have to hit me all the time?" whinged Ron pitifully, rubbing his head.

Hermione glared and raised her fist threateningly, making Ron squeak and lean back. Harry grinned at the scene and returned to his book. The next chapter caught his eye, detailing a potion that could be used to reveal animagus forms.

"I found it, Hermione. I don't know if we have all the ingredients, though."

Hermione took the book and read the ingredient list, biting her lip thoughtfully as she did a mental inventory of the ingredients they had on hand. She grinned when she realised they had everything they needed. Even better, the potion only took thirty minutes to brew.

"Give me about thirty-five minutes, Ron, and you'll get to see your animagus form."

Ron whooped in excitement. He couldn't wait to see what his animagus form was. He hoped it was something interesting. A tiger would be awesome, or maybe a bear. Something big and fearsome would be perfect.

Harry just smiled fondly at his excitable friend. "How about we play a game of chess while Hermione works in peace?"

As Ron happily agreed, Hermione gave Harry a grateful smile and slipped out of the room. Harry nodded slightly and turned his attention toward the game. He wouldn't win, of course, but he'd like to draw the game out for as long as possible to keep Ron occupied until Hermione was done.

Despite his best efforts, though, Ron trounced him three times by the time Hermione returned. Ron grinned at the disgusted look on Harry's face and clapped the brunette on the shoulder. "You're getting better, mate. It took ten whole minutes to beat you each time."

"Yeah, thanks. That makes me feel heaps better, Ron," Harry pouted, scowling at the chessboard. No matter how much he practised, he never got any better at the bloody game.

"Are you ready, Ron?" asked Hermione, holding out one of the potion phials.

Ron nodded and grabbed the phial, gulping it down quickly. A ghostly image of red fox formed in front of him. He looked down at the image and scowled. How did he manage to end up as a puny little fox? After a moment, though, he shrugged. "I was hoping for something bigger, but a fox is good, too. What do you think you'll be, Hermione?"

"I don't know," said Hermione. Taking a deep breath, she quickly gulped down her own potion. A ghostly image of a calico cat with fluffy fur formed in front of her. "That makes sense, I guess. I do have an insatiable curiosity."

"Now you just have to work on the actual transformations. They're relatively easy," said Harry. "Watch me." He transformed into his drake form, the transition between forms coming easily from practice.

Hermione gasped in awe at the beautiful drake and hesitantly reached out to touch Harry, gently stroking the side of his face. "Isn't he just gorgeous, Ron?"

Ron scowled playfully at his girlfriend calling his best friend gorgeous. "Hey, no hitting on Harry, Hermione."

Hermione just grinned at Ron. "You're just jealous because you're not a beautiful drake, too."

"You're damn right," said Ron judiciously, smirking at Harry. He moved closer to Hermione and reached out to touch Harry, as well, but stopped short when twin angry growls sounded in the room. Hermione and Ron whirled around and came face to face with a very pissed off drake and vampire.

"Get away from my mate," snarled Lucius venomously, glaring furiously at the two encroachers.

Harry quickly reversed his transformation and stepped toward Lucius. "Lucius, what are you doing here? I thought..."

Lucius pushed the impudent girl who had touched his mate out of the way, completely ignoring the redhead's cry of protest, and grabbed Harry, lifting the brunette into his arms and heading toward the stairs. "We need to talk. Severus?"

Severus glared at Hermione and Ron as he silently stalked passed them, following Lucius and Harry up the stairs.

Ron scowled at their retreating backs as he helped Hermione to her feet. "Those bastards. Who do they think they are?"

"They feel threatened," said Hermione reasonably. "The bond isn't complete, so they're afraid someone else will take their mate."

"We're his best friends. It's not like we'd ever do that," said Ron indignantly.

Hermione just smiled ruefully. "Right now, everyone's a threat." She looked up toward Harry's room and sighed. "Come on, Ron. We have more research to do."

HPHP

Harry got over his shock rather quickly and tried to struggle free. "Let me down, Lucius!"

"I think not. You might decide to run again," said Lucius bluntly, stalking down the corridor to Harry's room.

"I did not run away," snapped Harry. "Now put me down, dammit!"

Lucius ignored his mate as he walked into the bedroom. While Severus shut and locked the door, Lucius reluctantly set Harry on his feet. Harry scowled at the blonde and moved to the other side of the room.

"You dragged me up here to talk, so talk," said Harry grumpily. Although he was happy to see Lucius, he was a bit irritated at the blonde's high-handed attitude since he'd arrived. Really, did Lucius have to push Hermione down for no reason?

Lucius sighed softly and sat down on the edge of the bed, patting the space beside him pointedly. Harry started to refuse, but the mulish look on Lucius' face changed his mind. He knew that if he didn't do as Lucius wanted, he'd never get any answers.

Harry huffed irritably and sat down beside Lucius, arms crossed stubbornly across his chest. He looked over at Severus, but the vampire seemed content to stand against the wall, staring intently at him. The look of hunger in Severus' eyes brought a blush to Harry's face.

"Severus and I had a long talk this morning, and we've decided that..." Lucius paused and took a deep breath. "We decided that sharing you was the only option for us."

"Excuse me?" asked Harry incredulously. "You can't decide something like that without talking to me first. What if I don't want both of you as my mate? Did you even once think about how I may feel about this decision?"

Both Slytherins looked taken aback by that question. Honestly, the thought hadn't even occurred to them. They'd been more focussed on settling the tensions between them rather than how all of this truly effected Harry.

"So tell us," said Severus curtly. "If you won't have both of us, which of us do you want?"

Harry looked at them both for a long moment before turning to Lucius. "I love you, Lucius, and even though you've never said as much, I know you feel the same way about me." He kissed Lucius chastely on the lips before turning to face Severus. "Severus, I honestly don't know how I feel about you right now. I... you're a snarky bastard, but I actually like that about you now. I respect you for all you've done in this war, and those feelings have only grown stronger over the last few months. How do you... Is it just your vampire side that wants me?"

"It started out that way," said Severus bluntly. "However, that is no longer the case."

Harry looked at Severus thoughtfully. Because of the vampire's proficiency with Occlumency, it was harder to read Severus' emotions. The only time he really could, in fact, was when the vampire was in a state of high emotion. As he mulled over his thoughts, Harry unconsciously reached toward Severus with his empathy, needing to feel the true extent of the vampire's feelings toward him.

Severus felt a small brush of magic against his skin and tensed slightly until he realised it was Harry's magic. He slowly released his rigid control from his emotions, allowing Harry to feel what he truly felt. Harry gasped in surprise when Severus' emotions rushed through him. He could feel how much Severus and his vampire loved him along with the vampire's possessiveness and longing for him and Severus' protectiveness.

"Wow," said Harry dazedly.

Severus nodded curtly and pulled his emotions back. He glanced at Lucius and saw the blonde staring at Harry with a sad look on his face. Harry seemed to pick up on it, though, and he turned to face Lucius.

"What's wrong, Lucius?"

Seeing the wonder on Harry's face as he felt Severus' emotions brought a sharp pain to his heart. Lucius knew Harry loved him, he'd even admitted as much, but would that be enough for Harry to stay with him? Vampires could be very compelling when they wished, and it seemed that Severus did indeed wish. "You've chosen Severus, haven't you?" He really hoped that wasn't that case. He'd really hate to have to kill Severus.

"What?" asked Harry dumbly. "No! I love you, Lucius. Did you really expect me to just toss you aside like that?" He vaguely heard Severus growl at his answer and hurried to explain. "I thought... you're really willing to allow Severus to claim me, as well?"

Lucius smiled wryly. "It's either that, or Severus and I fight to the death over you. Which would you rather choose?"

"Would it really come to that?" asked Harry, aghast at the thought of the two men fighting to the death over him.

"Yes," hissed Severus softly.

Harry swallowed hard as he looked at Severus. The vampire was deadly serious. A quick glance at Lucius revealed the same look on the blonde's face. They really would kill each other over him. Well, he couldn't let that happen, could he? He loved Lucius, and he cared for Severus, so it wasn't exactly a hardship to be in a relationship with them both.

"Well, I guess it's a good thing it won't come to that then, isn't it?" asked Harry.

A dark smile crossed Severus' face, and he pulled Harry off the bed and into his arms. "So you agree to allow both Lucius and I to claim you as our mate?"

"Y-yes, I agree." As soon as Harry verbally agreed, Lucius stood up from the bed and embraced the teen from behind.

"Then let's get started, shall we?" asked Lucius seductively.

"Now?" squeaked Harry nervously. He'd never had sex before, and his first time would be with both of them. That was a lot to take in.

Severus smirked at his nervous mate. "Don't worry, lovely. You'll definitely enjoy the claiming. We'll see to it thoroughly." With that said, he suddenly lifted Harry off his feet and devoured the teen's mouth hungrily, wrapping Harry's legs around his waist.

Lucius kissed the length of Harry's neck, nimbly unbuttoning the teen's shirt and tugging it off his shoulders. Taking advantage of the newly bared skin, Lucius swept his hands across Harry's chest, lightly pinching the brunette's small nipples. The blonde smirked at the answering shiver he got from his mate, as well as the muffled moan.

"Do you like that, Harry? That's just the beginning," he purred seductively in Harry's ear.

As Lucius continued to play with his nipples, Harry gasped and threw his head back against the blonde's shoulders, breaking his kiss with Severus. Lucius smirked at Severus and leaned down to claim Harry's lips in another deep kiss. Severus answered the challenge by kissing and nipping down the length of Harry's neck, licking across his claiming mark on the teen's neck.

Harry mewled softly, shuddering in pleasure. Ever since Severus had bitten him, the mark had been sensitive to the slightest touch. He yelled hoarsely when Severus sank his fangs into his neck, bucking uncontrollably against the vampire. When Lucius' hand brushed across his groin, Harry came with a shout, shuddering fiercely with his release.

HPHP

"I'm hungry," said Ron, slamming his book shut. "We've been at this for hours."

"Not even thirty minutes," said Hermione wryly. "But if you're that hungry, by all means, let's find something to eat."

"Great!" said Ron exuberantly, jumping to his feet.

Leaving their books on the table, Hermione and Ron headed toward the kitchen. As they passed the stairs, though, they heard Harry give a hoarse shout. Hermione gasped and started up the stairs, but Ron grabbed her arm to stop her.

Hermione looked at Ron in question only to see the teen's face as red as his hair. "Ron?"

"You really don't want to go up there, Hermione," muttered Ron, looking cagily at the stairs.

"But something's wrong with Harry. You heard him," said Hermione worriedly.

Ron blushed even more. "That wasn't a painful shout, Hermione. Do you even remember who's up there with him?"

"What does that have to do with... Oh." Hermione blushed just as fiercely when she realised what Ron meant.

"Yes, oh," said Ron, pulling Hermione toward the kitchen. "And to be perfectly honest, I have no desire whatsoever to hear anymore." Just as he said that, though, they heard Harry shout again. "Haven't they ever heard of silencing charms?" moaned Ron pitifully, trying to cover his ears while still holding Hermione's hand. "I'm going to be traumatised for life because of this."

"I'm sure Harry said the same thing when he was forced to watch you and Lavender pawing each other in the Common Room," said Hermione snippily, snatching her hand away from Ron. It still infuriated her when she thought about it.

"Come on, Hermione. I thought you'd forgiven about that," whinged Ron.

Hermione just huffed and stalked into the kitchen.

Ron sighed. "I really need to learn to keep my damn mouth shut."

HPHP

By the time Harry regained his senses, he was completely naked, but Lucius and Severus were on the other side of the room, having a heated conversion. They were speaking too softly for him to hear the conversation clearly, though. As the argument continued, Harry began to get irritated. Apparently, they would rather argue with each other rather than have sex with him.

Harry climbed off the bed and grabbed Lucius' shirt irritably, pulling it over his head. Almost immediately, it was pulled back off, and Harry turned around to see Lucius with the shirt in his hand. Severus stood beside him with his arms crossed.

"And just where do you think you're going?" asked Lucius.

"To visit Ron and Hermione, of course," said Harry calmly, turning to find his own damn shirt.

"Oh, no, Harry. We are far from done here," said Lucius.

Harry turned to face the blonde with a scowl. "Really? I figured since you and Severus were on the other side of the room arguing instead of in the bed with me that we were done."

Lucius scowled at Severus. "This is your fault, you know. Harry was my mate first, so I should be the one to claim him first. All you had to do was agree, but you just had to argue about it."

"I marked him first," said Severus stubbornly. "That gives me the right to claim him first."

Harry stared at the two Slytherins incredulously. "You were arguing about who gets to fuck me first?" They both nodded. "Well, here's the answer. Neither of you. I'm going downstairs." Harry scooped up his discarded clothing and stomped out of the room. Ducking into the bathroom, Harry quickly redressed, cursing Lucius and Severus with every breath.

Taking a deep breath, Harry went downstairs to find Ron and Hermione. Noting the time, he checked the kitchen first. Harry snorted softly when he saw his friends at the table. Ron was so predictable.

"Hey, guys," said Harry with forced cheerfulness. He still wanted to hit Lucius and Severus several times with something painful, but seeing his friends definitely put him in a somewhat better mood.

Hermione and Ron looked at Harry and immediately blushed. Harry blinked at the reaction, but a blush covered his own face when he realised they hadn't put a silencing charm on the room. Could this day get any more embarrassing? Why, of course, it could.

Lucius stormed into the kitchen, wearing only a pair of trousers, with an equally undressed Severus behind him. Severus grabbed Harry by the arm and dragged him out of the kitchen, ignoring the teen's yelp of protest. Lucius, on the other hand, handed Hermione a piece of paper.

"Memorise it and burn it," said Lucius shortly, scowling at the pair. Without another word, he stalked out of the room.

Hermione and Ron looked down at the paper and saw an address. Hermione suddenly giggled. "I guess they're tired of Harry running away from them, so they're taking him back to the safe house."

"What do you mean?" asked Ron curiously. "From what we heard, Harry wasn't doing too much running, Hermione."

"You have no observational skills, Ron," sighed Hermione, shaking her head at her oblivious boyfriend..

"Hey, my observational skills are just fine," protested Ron indignantly. Hermione just smirked at him. "What did I miss?"

"Severus and Lucius were definitely frustrated about something. Now what do you imagine that something was?" asked Hermione ruefully.

Ron thought for a moment and suddenly laughed. "I didn't know Harry had it in him. They pissed him off somehow, so now he's holding out."

Hermione laughed and climbed to her feet. "Come on, Ron. We have a safe house to find."

"Right behind you, love," said Ron, following Hermione out of the kitchen.


	13. Chapter 13

Chapter 13

Draco stared pensively into the flames, bored out of his mind. His father and Severus were gone, fetching their wayward mate, and Draco wistfully wondered if he would ever find love like that. He couldn't help but be a bit jealous of the Gryffindor. Harry had two mates who loved him unconditionally while Draco had no one.

As he pondered his loneliness, the floo suddenly activated, drawing Draco's attention. Knowing it was his father returning, he stood up to greet Lucius, but he didn't get the chance to utter a single word. Severus stepped into the room with a wiggling and protesting Harry in his arms and stalked passed Draco without a word. Seconds later, Lucius appeared and followed the pair silently.

Draco scowled at the empty doorway, angry at being completely ignored like that. "Hello, Draco. Lovely to see you again. Did you miss us while we were gone?" he asked the empty room mockingly. So engrossed in his one-sided tirade, he didn't notice the other two people who flooed into the room. "Father! I'm glad you're back. I did miss you." He huffed irritably and crossed his arms. "Is it really that difficult to greet someone these days?"

"You'll have to excuse them, Draco. Harry's been holding out on them, so they're a bit frustrated at the moment," said Hermione in amusement.

Draco yelped in surprise and whirled around to face Hermione. "How did.. What are... When did you get here?"

"During the 'Father! I'm glad you're back.' dialogue," said Hermione, smirking at the blonde.

"Do you talk to yourself a lot?" asked Ron. "It's the first sign of madness, you know."

"Shut up, Weasel. Who wouldn't go mad with Potter in such close proximity? You should know that better than most," said Draco snidely. "What are you doing here anyway? I can't believe my father actually gave you the address to come here. What in Merlin's name was he thinking?"

Ron glared at the blonde and opened his mouth to insult the annoying little ferret, but Hermione spoke before he could. "We are Harry's best friends, Draco," said Hermione placatingly. "I imagine he didn't want to anger Harry even more by denying the company of his friends. They'd already managed to piss the poor boy off once today, and Harry punished them for it by cutting them off."

Draco grimaced when he realised exactly what Hermione was implying. "Eww! That was more information than I ever wanted to know, Granger. I do not want to hear any details about my father's sex life."

Ron hated having anything in common with Malfoy, but he had to agree with the blonde's sentiments. Harry was his best friend, and as long as Harry was happy with Malfoy and Snape, Ron was happy for Harry. That did not mean, however, that he wanted to hear the slightest detail of any of their bedroom activities. That was just too much information, thank you very much.

Hermione just smirked at them knowingly. It was just too fun to tease them like this. She finally took pity on them, though, and changed the subject. "Draco, Harry told us he helped you with your animagus transformation. What is your animagus form?"

"I'm a mini-wyve," said Draco proudly. Only powerful wizards could achieve a magical creature animagus form, but even then, it was extremely rare to do so. The fact that he and Harry both were magical creature animagus' was astronomical.

"A mini-wyve?" asked Hermione thoughtfully. "I think I've heard about them." She tried to remember what she'd read about the creatures, but she was drawing a blank. Then it hit her. They were also called... "Fairy wyvern!"

Ron snorted in amusement. "You're a fairy wyvern? Is there something we should know about you, Malfoy?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" spluttered Draco indignantly.

"Are you as much of a fairy as your animagus form?" asked Ron gleefully.

Draco scowled at the redhead. "I'll show you fairy, you little weasel." He shifted into his animagus form and darted toward the redhead, lashing his tail around angrily.

Ron yelped and ducked. "Calm down. It was just a joke, Malfoy."

Draco just screeched and swooped toward Ron again, scratching the redhead's arm with his sharp claws. He would show that little weasel that he was no fairy.

Hermione sighed softly and raised her wand. "Impedimenta!" The screeching mini-wyve froze in place. Hermione turned to Ron with a scowl, grabbing his ear in a punishing grip. "Honestly, Ron, when will you ever grow up? We are here to help Harry. If I have to break up another fight between you and Draco, I assure you that you will not like what I do to you. We don't have time for petty squabbles, so I suggest you both get over this little animosity between you." She finally released Ron's ear and turned back toward Draco. "Do you understand me?" With that she lifted the spell on Draco and watched in satisfaction as the little wyvern plummeted to the floor.

Draco transformed back with a pained groan, scowling at Hermione. How dare the little mudblood treat him like that! Besides, the Weasel had started it all.

Ron winced in sympathy and rubbed his aching ear. "Jeez, Hermione. Did you have to grab my ear like that? You're as bad as Mum." Hermione growled at him, and he squeaked in fear. "Okay! No more fighting with Malfoy. I got it."

Draco snickered at how whipped Weasley was until Hermione turned that vicious glare toward him. He quickly straightened and gulped nervously. "I won't fight with Weasley anymore, either."

Hermione just smiled sweetly. "I'm glad we all agree."

HPHP

Harry faced off against his two Slytherins, scowling at each equally. "I don't want to talk to either one of you right now. Go away, and leave me alone!"

Severus raised an eyebrow and smirked at the angry teen. "Is that all you could come up with? It never worked before, so why should now be any different?"

"Fine! You want to talk? Then let's talk. Let's talk about the way you both continue to arbitrarily make decisions regarding me without asking my opinion first. I'm your mate, not some mindless little pet that needs constant supervision," snapped Harry. "First, you storm into Grimmauld Place, declaring that you've decided to share me. Fine, I can agree with that, but you should have asked me what I thought about it first. Then, you leave my bed to argue about who gets to claim me first. Again, you completely ignore my opinion. And now you've dragged me back to the safe house without asking if I even wanted to come back with you or not." Harry's shoulders slumped in defeat as his anger burned out. "I don't want to be in a relationship where my thoughts and opinions are disregarded as if they are completely unimportant. That's how I felt the whole time I was at the Dursley's, and I just can't live with that again."

Lucius sighed and pulled the dejected brunette into his arms. "I'm sorry, Harry. Severus and I have been right bastards, haven't we?" He smiled slightly when Harry nodded in agreement. "Harry, we don't want a mindless pet. We want the fiery, stubborn, reckless mate we found in you."

Harry crossed his arms and stared at them skeptically. "Is that right? Then I guess next time your arrogance gets out of hand, you won't mind a swift kick in the arse to get you back on track."

"If you think you can accomplish such a feat," said Severus tauntingly.

"I'm sure I can handle it," said Harry calmly. He walked over to Severus and placed his hand on the vampire's chest. "You see, I read something interesting while I was at Grimmauld Place. Did you know that Empaths have the power to project their emotions? No? Well, let me give you an example." Closing his eyes, Harry focussed on the desire and need he'd felt in Lucius' arms the night he proposed and channelled those feelings into Severus.

Severus tensed and gasped when the first wave of desire rushed through him. The emotions were so intense, he found himself on the edge of release in mere seconds. "Harry," he hissed softly, reaching for the teen.

Harry stepped out of reach, cutting off the flow of emotions. Severus fell back against the wall as the feelings disappeared abruptly and stared at Harry in shock. Harry just raised his eyebrow at the stunned vampire and calmly walked back to the other side of the room.

"That was just a taste, dear Severus, and far more pleasant than I could have made it," said Harry sweetly. "Just because I'm younger and smaller than you doesn't mean you can walk over me like I'm some kind of doormat. I am perfectly capable of making sound decisions on my own."

"I stand corrected," said Severus stiffly. "It won't happen again."

Harry smiled wryly. "Oh, I'm sure it will happen again. You're too dominant in nature for it not to. Just expect the repercussions if it does." He turned back to Lucius. "And what about Ron and Hermione? You didn't just leave them at Grimmauld Place, did you?"

Lucius held up his hands defensively. "No, Harry, I gave them the address before I left. They're probably already here."

"Good, then I think I'll go downstairs and visit since my last visit was so rudely interrupted," said Harry firmly.

"What about the claiming?" asked Severus.

"What about it?" asked Harry calmly.

Severus scowled at the teen. "You need to decide who should claim you first. I think..."

"Lucius," said Harry abruptly. "I'm sorry, Severus, but I want Lucius to be my first."

"I see," said Severus softly.

"No, I don't think you do really," said Harry gently. "Lucius and I have had time to get more comfortable with each other in this relationship. I haven't really had time to do that with you, yet. Given time, I have no doubts that our bond will deepen just as much as my bond with Lucius. Do you understand?"

Severus stared at Harry contemplatively for a moment. He did understand what Harry meant, but he couldn't help the disappointment he felt at Harry's choice. Once again, the person he loved was choosing someone else over him. But looking deeper into Harry's anxious green eyes, Severus finally realised that it wasn't so much Harry choosing Lucius over him. After all, he would soon get his turn to claim the teen, and that knowledge slowly erased the vampire's disappointment.

"I understand," said Severus softly. He smiled slightly at the worried brunette and kissed Harry on the forehead. "I do understand, Harry. Don't worry so much."

Harry gradually relaxed and smiled back at the vampire. "Okay. Thanks, Severus." He brushed a quick kiss across Severus' lips and turned to do the same to Lucius. "I'm going back downstairs. You're both welcome to join us if you like."

Severus' lip curled into a sneer. "I believe I'll pass on the invitation. I have some potions to brew." With a curt nod to Harry and Lucius, Severus swept from the room.

Harry just snickered at the vampire's retreat. "So predictable. He'd probably rather cut off both hands than suffer Ron and Hermione's company." He looked back at Lucius. "You wanna come? I fully intend to entice Draco into another rousing game of aerial tag. Are you game?"

Lucius smirked and wrapped his arm around Harry's waist, leading him out of the bedroom. "I'm up for it. Just don't be surprised when you're both soundly defeated."

"Oh, you wish. Draco and I can fly circles around you, Lucius," said Harry confidently. "You just wait and see."

"I can't wait," said Lucius.

HPHP

"Draco! Tell him!"

Draco looked up and raised his eyebrows questioningly when he saw Harry dragging Lucius down the stairs. "Tell him what?"

Harry crossed his arms across his chest and scowled at Draco. "Lucius thinks he can beat us in aerial tag!"

Draco's jaw dropped, and he turned to his father with a scowl. "Harry and I can fly circles around you, father."

Harry burst out laughing at Draco's comment. After all, he'd said the exact same thing just two minutes earlier. He walked over to his friend and draped his arm across Draco's shoulders. "That's what I said, but he still thinks he's going to beat us. We'll just have to show him how wrong he is, won't we?"

"You're damn right we will," stated Draco firmly.

"What's aerial tag?" interjected Ron.

"From the name, I would assume it's a game of tag played in the air," said Hermione calmly. "On brooms perhaps?"

"No way!" said Draco. "We play in our animagus forms."

"Isn't that kind of dangerous?" asked Hermione worriedly. "Your animagus form is much smaller than Harry's."

Harry looked at her in confusion for a moment before realising that he'd forgotten to tell them that part. "Drakes can adjust their size. Watch." Harry quickly shifted into his mini-drake form, drawing a gasp of amazement from Hermione.

Draco grinned and transformed, chasing after Harry. A few moments later, another mini-drake flew after them, pouncing on Harry and nuzzling him affectionately. Draco, however, swooped down and rammed into Lucius, knocking him off of Harry. After that, the game was on.

Hermione and Ron grinned as they watched the three reptiles fly effortlessly through the air. It was refreshing to see Harry so happy for once. Hermione and Ron burst out laughing when Draco and Harry worked together in a flawless move to trounce Lucius. Harry and Draco preened proudly, pinning Lucius to the ground triumphantly.


	14. Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Harry spent an enjoyable afternoon with his friends. He helped Hermione and Ron some more with their animagus transformations, but they hadn't made much progress yet. Ron did, however, manage to sprout red fur along his entire body. Hermione, on the other hand, could manifest the eyes and whiskers of her animagus form. They were a little disheartened by their lack of success, but Harry promised to keep working with them.

"When's supper, Harry? I'm starving," said Ron pitifully, rubbing his stomach for emphasis. "It's been ages since we last ate."

"You're always starving, Ron," said Hermione, rolling her eyes. "Honestly, I don't where you manage to put all of that food. It's so unfair. If I ate like you do on a regular basis, I would weigh more than twenty stone."

"I couldn't even imagine eating that much," said Harry ruefully. "I tried it once and threw up for the rest of the night."

At Harry's comment, Ron and Hermione looked at their friend sadly. Harry had told them once that he was used to going without food since the Dursley's never liked to feed him much anyway. And it showed. Harry was extremely slender, and he would never grow more than the five and a half feet he'd already reached.

Harry, oblivious to his friends' thoughts, headed toward the kitchen. Supper was still an hour away, but he could ask the house elves for a few sandwiches for Ron. To his surprise, Draco was sitting at the kitchen table, drinking a cup of tea.

"Draco!" said Harry cheerfully. "Are you and Severus already done with your potions?"

"I am," said Draco dryly. "Severus is a bit irritable at the moment, and you know how he gets when he's like that. He criticises every little mistake, making you want to just strangle him to put him out of your misery."

Harry snorted at that. He could only imagine it too well. He couldn't help but feel a little guilty, though. Could it be that Severus was more upset by his decision than he'd let on?

"Food!" cried Ron joyfully, startling Harry out of his thoughts.

Harry turned toward his friend only to see the redhead staring hungrily at the plate of sandwiches the house elf set on the table. Ron rushed to the table and snatched up a sandwich, wolfing it down in three bites and quickly grabbing another.

Harry shook his head wryly. Like Hermione, he didn't know how Ron could eat as much as he did and never gain a pound. Draco, on the other hand, could only stare at Ron in fascinated horror, watching the redhead shovel food into his mouth at an astronomical pace. He couldn't believe Weasley had managed to eat six sandwiches in five minutes.

"Really, Ron. Can't you at least attempt to eat properly?" asked Hermione in exasperation. "One would think you hadn't eaten in a week with the way you're stuffing your face."

Ron quickly swallowed the food in his mouth and grinned at Hermione. "I told you I was starving. You're just jealous."

"I'm going to go shower and change before supper. You remember where your rooms are, right?" said Harry quietly.

"Yes, Harry. We'll be fine," said Hermione with a reassuring smile. "I'm sure Ron and Draco can behave themselves while you're gone." She levelled a glare on the two teens in question, smiling when they both nodded quickly.

Harry saw the exchange and grinned. "I knew I could count on you to keep them in line, Hermione. I'll see you in a little bit."

HPHP

Harry stepped into the bath and sank down into the water with a relieved sigh, feeling the hot water begin to loosen his taut muscles. He was only planning to take a quick shower, but the huge bath proved too tempting to resist. It was nice to be able to relax for a while.

Harry closed his eyes and sprawled out in the bath, never noticing the bathroom door opening. A gentle hand caressed his cheek, and he opened his eyes with a smile, knowing exactly to whom that hand belonged. He grasped a lock of Lucius' long hair and tugged lightly.

"I thought you were still working."

"I was, but I needed to change before supper," said Lucius softly, carding a hand through Harry's damp hair. "Of course, I could be persuaded to join you instead."

Harry blushed lightly. "You're welcome to join me, Lucius."

Lucius kissed Harry on the forehead and climbed to his feet, stripping off his clothing quickly. He climbed into the bath and pulled Harry away from the edge, manoeuvring himself so that he was leaning against the edge with Harry leaning comfortably against his chest. Settled in the hot water with his mate held close, Lucius sighed softly in contentment.

"Did you enjoy the day with your friends?"

"Yeah," said Harry. "I helped Ron and Hermione with their animagus transformations. They still haven't transformed yet, but they'll get it soon."

"What are they?"

Harry grinned impishly. "Hermione is a curious little cat, and Ron is a sly little fox."

"Very fitting," said Lucius wryly.

"Yeah, now we just need nicknames for our animagus forms," said Harry brightly. A devious thought came to him. "Oh, I'm gonna have fun with this. I think I'll call Draco Stinger or Midge. Ron can be Sly or Red. Hermione can be Whiskers or Goldie. As for me..."

"Emerald," said Lucius. "And I think Draco would prefer Stinger to Midge, Harry."

"You're probably right. He doesn't seem to like being reminded of his small stature," said Harry gleefully.

"You're one to talk, Harry," said Lucius teasingly. "You're even shorter than Draco."

"That's what makes it so funny," said Harry. "He's taller as a human, but I'm bigger in my animagus form. Besides, I'm sure Draco would prefer Midge to the name Ron would pick for him."

"And what name would that be?" asked Lucius curiously.

"Fairy, of course. Draco gets offended every time the word is even mentioned in the same sentence as his name," said Harry.

"He's repressing," said Lucius.

Harry burst out laughing. "You think the lady doth protest too much? That's just too funny."

Lucius just smiled. "Right now, though, it's time to get out. Supper will be on the table in twenty minutes."

Harry groaned in protest and reluctantly climbed to his feet. As he reached for his towel, though, Lucius wrapped his arms around his waist and pressed a gentle kiss against his neck. Harry shuddered and pressed back against Lucius.

"However, I believe supper can wait a while longer. Right, Harry?" As Lucius spoke, he brought one hand up to delicately pinch Harry's left nipple while the other hand wrapped around the brunette's hard shaft, stroking the rigid flesh slowly.

Harry responded with a breathless moan.

Lucius smirked against Harry's neck. "Do you want more, Harry?" purred Lucius seductively. "I do. I want to claim every inch of you, bury myself in your tight arse, and mark you for all to see. Do you want that?"

"Yes," gasped Harry, quivering steadily as the pleasure built. And he did want that. He clearly felt Lucius' desire and need, but it was completely overshadowed by his own arousal for once. Suddenly, Lucius' hands left his body, and he yelped in surprise as the blonde lifted him into his arms and stepped out of the bath.

Lucius carried Harry into the bedroom and placed the brunette on the bed. "Gorgeous," growled Lucius ferally. He quickly climbed onto the bed and claimed Harry's lips in a deep kiss, a groan rumbling from his chest at his mate's complete submission to the invasion. He slowly broke the kiss and trailed his lips across Harry's jaw and down his neck, nipping the flesh lightly as he went.

Lucius continued his downward path, teeth tugging gently on Harry's nipples. Harry gasped at the sharp pleasure and blindly thrust his hips against Lucius', desperately wanting release. Lucius just laughed darkly and moved to the other nipple, giving it the same treatment, while one hand moved down to wrap around Harry's shaft.

"Lucius!" cried Harry, lifting his legs and wrapping them around Lucius' hips.

Lucius suddenly pulled away from Harry, smirking when the brunette cried out in protest. "Don't worry, Harry. We are far from done. Roll over." Harry slowly obeyed. Lucius stroked his hand down the brunette's slender back, revelling in the fact that this lovely creature belonged to him.

Lucius trailed his lips down Harry's back, marking the smooth skin with teasing little nips. He whispered a lubrication charm, causing Harry to jolt forward at the sudden cold, slippery feeling, and brushed his finger across Harry's anus. Harry shivered at the strange feeling but didn't protest the touch, so Lucius gently began to prepare his mate.

Harry hissed at the burning discomfort, feeling some of his arousals wane in the face of the initial pain of penetration, but as Lucius pressed deeper inside, Harry felt a jolt of sheer pleasure as the blonde brushed against something inside of him and moaned loudly. Lucius added another finger, and Harry tensed as the burn of pain increased, instinctively trying to pull away to relieve the discomfort. As Lucius brushed that spot inside of him again, though, Harry forgot all about trying to get away, thrusting back and pushing Lucius' fingers deeper inside instead.

Lucius cursed softly and quickly added another finger. The need to claim his mate was almost overwhelming at this point. He shakily cast another lubrication charm and positioned himself at Harry's loosened opening, slowly pushing inside.

Harry whimpered in pain at the new invasion. Lucius heard the whimper, but he didn't stop, pushing in until he was completely buried. He kissed Harry's back and shoulder, whispering soothing words of encouragement, and Harry slowly relaxed. Lucius pulled back and pushed back in, keeping the pace slow and steady to give Harry time to adjust. Lucius changed his angle, and Harry moaned loudly as Lucius hit that spot once again.

Lucius smirked triumphantly. His strokes became longer and harder, brushing Harry's prostate with almost every thrust. Harry screamed and moaned, keened and wailed, begged and pleaded, and still Lucius pounded into him, forcing him to new heights of pleasure. Lucius, feeling his own release getting closer, wrapped his hand around Harry's shaft, stroking the rigid flesh firmly.

The new sensations proved too much for Harry. He came with a muffled scream, spurting his seed onto the covers. Lucius suddenly lunged forward, sinking his teeth into the flesh between Harry's neck and shoulder, marking the brunette as his mate. With his mate finally claimed, Lucius couldn't hold back anymore. Stroking Harry to firmness once more, Lucius pounded Harry's arse even harder.

Harry was completely overwhelmed with pleasure, feeling Lucius' pleasure combined with his own pleasure. He couldn't differentiate between them anymore, and it was too much. His release crashed through him, ripping another scream from his throat.

As Harry's arse contracted around him, Lucius growled ferally and thrust once more, spurting his seed into his mate's spasming channel. He slowly withdrew from Harry and collapsed beside the spent brunette, breathlessly casting a cleaning spell on them both. He saw the mark on Harry's shoulder and felt complete. Harry was finally his. It would be even more apparent, though, when the markings began to appear.

HPHP

Hermione stared down at her plate, an uncomfortable silence encompassing the room. Harry really needed to hurry up and get here to relieve some of this tension. She honestly didn't know how he managed to deal with Malfoy and Snape on his own all the time.

"What's taking him so long?" moaned Ron pitifully, staring mournfully at his empty plate. The house-elves refused to serve supper until Harry and Lucius arrived. "How long does it take to shower and change?"

Draco sneered at the redhead. "You are a simpleton."

Ron glared at Draco. "What do you mean by that?"

"It's quite obvious, Weasel. Harry's not the only one missing," drawled Draco contemptuously.

Hermione gasped in comprehension, but Ron just stared blankly at the blonde. "So?"

Severus suddenly growled and pushed away from the table, stalking from the room without another word. Draco stared after him for a moment and sighed softly. "Harry did tell you about the situation with my father and Severus, right?"

"About how they both want him as their mate?" asked Ron. "Yeah, he told us. What's that got to do with... Oh. You think he and your father are... My poor brain! The images! OW! What was that for, Hermione?"

"You're such a prat, Ron," said Hermione crossly. "Oh, poor Severus. He must be so upset right now."

"He'll be strong," said Ron dismissively. "Besides, it's not as though Harry rejected the greasy git. He plans to bond with both of them, the insane little sod."

"But he's a vampire, Ron. You just can't imagine how possessive vampires are of their mates. It must be eating him up inside to know that Harry is intimate with Lucius," said Hermione.

Draco sat back with a smirk. "If I know Severus as well as I think I do, he's on his way to remedy that right as we speak."

Ron turned faintly green. "I really did not need to know that."

Hermione and Draco just laughed at the redhead.

HPHP

Severus growled continuously as he paced around his room. Although he knew that Harry planned to bond with Lucius first, it was all the more real being faced with proof of that decision. It was all he could do to keep from going upstairs and pulling Harry out of Lucius' bed and staking his own claim.

Of course, the more the thought ran through his head, the harder it was to keep from doing it, and Severus finally broke. He stalked out of his bedroom and headed upstairs. Barging unceremoniously into Lucius' room, he bit back another growl when he saw the naked blonde wrapped around his equally naked mate.

Lucius growled right back at the vampire. "What the hell are you doing here, Severus?"

"I've come to claim my mate, of course," snapped Severus, stalking toward the bed. "Hand him over."

Lucius looked down at Harry and saw the brunette beginning to stir. He gently traced the new ring of emerald green scales that adorned the teen's slender wrists. Harry now also had scales along the length of his spine, and Lucius couldn't resist touching them.

Harry moaned softly, arching his back further into Lucius' touch, and slowly opened his eyes. He smiled sleepily at Lucius and leaned up for a kiss, freezing in place when he heard the low growl. There were only two people he knew that growl like that, and he knew for a fact that it hadn't come from Lucius.

"Severus!" Harry quickly scrambled under the covers, blushing fiercely.

Despite his jealousy, Severus couldn't help but smile at Harry's embarrassment. It was, dare he say it, adorable. "Now, Harry, there's no need to be shy. I've already seen it."

"Shut up," muttered Harry, burying his flushed face in Lucius' neck.

Severus looked at Lucius with a raised brow. Lucius looked down at Harry for a moment and slowly nodded. Severus walked to the bed and pulled the covers completely off the bed, tossing them into the far corner of the room.

Harry yelped indignantly and glared at Severus. "What was that-" The rest of his sentence was cut off as Severus covered his lips in a kiss. The kiss quickly deepened, and Harry moaned softly, timidly returning the kiss.

Lucius held Harry as Severus kissed the teen, a curious mixture of love, lust, and envy roiling through him. That actually surprised him. There was still a small amount of jealousy, but nowhere near to the extent it was a few days ago. It seemed that now that he had marked and claimed Harry, the drake was a little more tolerant of Harry's other mate.

Severus slowly broke the kiss, smirking at the dazed expression on Harry's face. Harry reached for him, and it was then that he saw the new scales around the teen's wrist. He took Harry's hand in his and gently caressed the delicate scales, pulling a soft moan from the teen. "These are new, and sensitive by the sound of it." He smirked wickedly and looked toward Lucius. "Are they anywhere else?"

"Down the length of his spine," said Lucius promptly, realising what Severus planned to do.

"Perfect," purred Severus, flipping Harry on top of Lucius.

Harry only had time to blink in surprise before a rough tongue swept up the centre of his back, sending sharp jolts of pleasure throughout his body. Harry moaned loudly and arched his back, trying to deepen the caress. Severus chuckled darkly behind him and swirled his tongue along the scales at the base of his spine, growling at the choked scream that Harry gave.

Lucius decided he'd been ignored long enough. He pulled Harry into another kiss, devouring the teen's lips ruthlessly. Harry instantly melted into the kiss, bucking his hips against the blonde's as Severus gave another toe curling swirl of his tongue to the scales on Harry's back.

Severus couldn't wait anymore. He quickly cast a lubrication charm and used his slick fingers to prepare the teen. After only a cursory preparation, Severus thrust into Harry, hissing in pleasure. Harry was finally his.

Severus claimed Harry with fast, hard strokes, pounding into the teen almost ferociously. Harry was almost delirious with pleasure. Every time Severus thrust into him, the vampire pounded against his prostate, driving his desire ever higher. That desire was only escalated every time Lucius thrust against him from below.

Severus, feeling Harry tighten around him, suddenly lunged forward and sank his fangs in the mark he'd previously made. Harry came with a loud wail, shuddering wildly between his two mates. Severus pulled his teeth from Harry's neck and bit into his own wrist, pressing the bloody appendage against Harry's mouth. Harry instinctively drank the coppery fluid filling his mouth.

Severus felt the bond snap into place and growled triumphantly, thrusting into Harry a few more times before reaching his own release. He slowly pulled out of Harry and collapsed on the bed beside Lucius. Pulling Harry off the blonde, he settled the teen between them, a small smile of contentment crossing his face.

Lucius quietly cast another cleaning charm on all of them and pulled Harry into his arms, the teen's head resting on his shoulder. He had to smile, though, when Severus curled around Harry, burying his face in the teen's back. He never would have pegged Severus for a cuddler. Lucius smirked, mentally rubbing his hands together as he thought of the blackmail material he now had on Severus.

HPHP

Harry awoke with a start, his heart pounding in fear, but the reason for that fear eluded him for some reason. Wide awake now, he carefully disentangled himself from Lucius and Severus and crawled out of the bed. Another jolt of fear swept through him, and he realised it wasn't his own fear he felt.

Harry quickly pulled on a pair of pyjama bottoms and crept out of the room, trying to find the source of the fear. As he walked down the hallway, the fear grew stronger and stronger until he found himself standing in front of Draco's room. Carefully easing the door open, Harry saw Draco thrashing wildly in the bed, obviously in the throes of a terrible nightmare.

Hurrying toward the bed, Harry crawled into the bed and pulled Draco into his arms, whispering soothingly to the blonde. As he held the nightmare stricken teen, he began to project a peaceful calm toward Draco. Almost immediately, Draco began to relax as the peacefulness chased the nightmarish visions away.

His exhaustion quickly catching up to him now that the fear was gone, Harry fell asleep with Draco still in his arms. He was awakened a few hours later by a girlish shriek.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed, Potter?" Draco screeched, pushing Harry out of the bed and pulling the covers to his chest.

Harry scowled at Draco as he got to his feet. "You woke me up with your nightmares. Next time I'll just leave you to them."

Draco flinched in remembrance of his nightmare. He'd dreamed about his mother again. Then he remembered the nightmare being chased away by a sense of peace. "You helped me. You used your empathy to project a sense of peace into me, didn't you?"

"I'll not do it again," muttered Harry, heading for the door. "Help someone and get tossed in the floor. Some gratitude."

"Thank you," said Draco softly. "I really do appreciate it."

Harry paused in the doorway and looked back at Draco. Seeing the sincerity in Draco's eyes, Harry smiled briefly. "You're welcome." He walked back to his bedroom to get dressed for breakfast only to be immediately accosted as soon as he walked into the room.

"Where the hell have you been?" Lucius demanded.

"And why do you smell like Draco?" growled Severus.

"Jeez, calm down. Draco woke me up with his nightmare, and I went to help him. Afterwards, I fell asleep," said Harry calmly.

Lucius instantly relaxed. He knew that Draco still had nightmares about Narcissa's death, but he didn't know how to help him through it. He was just glad that Harry had found a way to do so.

Severus, however, was a suspicious bastard. "Helped him how?"

Harry smacked him across the chest. "Not the way your thinking, obviously. I used my empathy to project peacefulness and calmness toward him." He glared at Severus. "I already have two mean after my arse, I certainly don't need to add another one to the list. I can, however, take one off of the list."

Severus knew that he'd messed up royally when he saw the fury on Harry's face. "I didn't mean it that way, Harry. I wasn't accusing you of sleeping with Draco. I just wanted to know how you helped him."

Harry snorted derisively and shook his head. "You meant it exactly that way, Severus, but I'm willing to forgive you this once."

Severus sighed in relief. Now that Harry could control his empathy better, he was a formidable force to deal with. And the little brat also knew where to hit where it really hurt. Severus did not want to be on his bad side so early in their relationship.

Harry smirked inwardly at Severus' reaction. He could almost hear what the vampire was thinking, and he gave himself a pat on the back. If Severus and Lucius thought they would run roughshod over him just because they were older and more experienced, then they had another think coming. Harry was perfectly capable of holding his own in any battle.

Lucius, on the other hand, smirked openly at Severus. He'd learned the hard way just how capable Harry was. Besides, it was absolutely hilarious seeing Severus on the defensive like this.

As Severus glared retribution at Lucius, Harry calmly got dressed for breakfast. After missing supper last night, he was positively starving. When he was dressed, he looked at his two mates. "I'm going to breakfast. You can either join me, or you can stay up here and glare at each other some more. Your choice."

Harry left without another word. A second later, Lucius and Severus were right behind him. Harry smirked again. Score one for him.


	15. Chapter 15

Chapter 15

Hermione blushed every time she looked at Harry during breakfast. Ron, on the other hand, would randomly turn green and cover his ears. Harry finally got fed up with his friends.

"What is going on with you two?"

Hermione blushed even more. "I-It's nothing, Harry," she stammered.

Harry scowled at her and turned to look at Ron. "Tell me the truth, Ron."

Ron buckled immediately under the weight of Harry's gaze. "I can't believe you got to have sex before I did!" he blurted out. "I've been dating much longer than you have. Hell, I've been with Hermione for months, and she hardly lets me touch her. You've only been with Snape a few weeks, and you've already gone all the way."

Harry gaped at Ron in shock before bursting into laughter. Out of all the reactions he expected Ron to have, that one had been the most unexpected. He saw Hermione glare at Ron and laughed even harder. Ron was in for it now. He couldn't bring himself to feel sorry for the redhead, though. After all, Ron had just practically called him slut.

"Ronald Weasley!" screeched Hermione, blushing in mortification.

"She'll never put out for you now, Weasley," said Draco mockingly.

Hermione glared at furiously at Draco, causing the blonde to shrink away from her. She transferred her glare back to Ron. "I.. Will.. Kill.. You.. Ronald Weasley," she said through clenched teeth.

Ron squeaked in fear and fled from the table. Hermione calmly pushed away from the table and walked sedately out of the room. Draco sat still for all of a minute before he scrambled out of his chair and followed the furious brunette. He wanted front seats for the humiliation Weasley was about to suffer.

Harry shook his head ruefully and began to eat. Hermione would deal with his wayward friend. Ron really should learn when to keep his mouth shut. He always managed to land himself in hot water because of his big mouth.

"I'll be in the library with Ron and Hermione if you need me," said Harry, pushing his empty plate away. He climbed to his feet and kissed Severus and Lucius on the cheek and walked out of the room.

Harry found Hermione and Ron already sequestered in the library and snickered softly at the scene he encountered. Hermione was calmly reading a thick book, but Ron was bound and gagged in the corner, mumbling angrily through the gag in his mouth. Harry sat down at the table with Hermione and stared at her for a long moment, trying to keep his face impassive.

"Is there something you want to tell me, Hermione? Some secret fetish you wish to share?"

Hermione raised her eyebrow and sat back in her chair. "Wouldn't you like to know, Harry?" She suddenly leaned forward and smirked at Harry. "I'll tell you if you tell me. What was it like with them?"

Harry looked at Ron and saw the redhead shaking his head frantically. Harry smirked wickedly and leaned closer to Hermione. "It was amazing. Of course, it hurt at first because I was still a virgin, but he made me come twice before it was all over."

"And what about Snape? Did you bond with him, too?" asked Hermione eagerly.

"Yeah," sighed Harry, with a gentle smile. "Lucius held and kissed me while Severus fu-"

"I don't want to hear anymore!" yelled Ron. "Please! No details!"

Hermione laughed at Ron. "So you finally figured out how to get the gag out. Took you long enough."

"That's not funny, Hermione," pouted Ron. "I can't believe you would do that to me. Now I'm traumatised."

"Poor baby. You'll survive," said Hermione unsympathetically. "So, Harry, any ideas on the remaining horcruxes?"

"We need to go to Hogwarts," said Harry seriously. "I have a feeling a horcrux is there."

"And just how do you expect us to do that? Hogwarts is run by Death Eaters these days," said Ron reasonably.

"It wouldn't be all that difficult if we could enter the castle in our animagus forms," said Hermione. "Unfortunately, Harry is the only one who could do that at the moment, and I don't see Lucius and Severus allowing Harry to do that by himself."

Harry grinned ruefully. "That's certainly true. However, I may be able to convince Lucius and Draco to accompany me on my adventure."

Ron scowled at Harry. "I hope you don't think you're leaving us behind again. We're in this together, so if you go to Hogwarts, we're going to Hogwarts. Now help us with our transformations, so we can do this."

Harry smiled at Ron. He was so glad they were here. He'd missed them terribly over the last few weeks. "Let's do this, then."

They spent the next three hours working on their animagus transformations. Ron was actually the first to complete his transformation. When he realised that he'd really done it, he yipped excitedly and ran around the room, tripping on his own feet and skidding across the floor. Ignoring his friends' laughter, he bounced right back up and transformed back.

"Wow! That was absolutely amazing! I'm colour blind, but I can smell and hear so much better," said Ron exuberantly. "Come on, Hermione. You try it."

"I've been trying, Ron," said Hermione peevishly. "It's not working!"

"You're thinking too much," said Ron.

Hermione growled, dearly wishing she had claws to use on her irritating boyfriend. To her surprise, her body began to shrink. Harry picked her up and stroked her silky fur, and she purred loudly. Ron was right. This was amazing. All of her senses were much sharper in this form, and the way Harry was petting her felt absolutely divine.

"Replacing me already, Harry?"

Harry looked up and saw Lucius leaning against the doorframe. "Ah, Lucius. You're just in time. I have something I need to ask you." He set the cat back on the floor, and few moments later, Hermione stood in its place. She sat down beside Harry while Ron sat on his other side.

Lucius saw the seriousness on all three faces and felt a knot of dread in his stomach. The only time Harry got that look on his face was when he wanted to do something extremely dangerous. He sighed softly. There was no question that he would help however he could. There was absolutely no way he'd allow Harry off on one of his adventures without him by his side.

"What do you have planned now?"

"I need to get into Hogwarts," said Harry hurriedly.

"What? I thought you'd gotten what you needed at Hogwarts," said Lucius harshly. "Death Eaters are in charge of the school now, and if you think I'm letting you waltz into Hogwarts now, you have another think coming."

"It's important, Lucius. I wouldn't have said anything if it wasn't," said Harry seriously. "You remember the night Severus became a vampire?"

"Yes," said Lucius suspiciously. Almost immediately, though, he realised exactly why Harry had asked him that. He sighed and rubbed his temples. "You had another one of those feelings, didn't you?"

Harry shrugged helplessly. "I just know a horcrux is at Hogwarts. I'm not exactly sure what it is yet, but I do know it's there."

"And how do you plan to remain undetected while you're there? The term began last week," said Lucius resignedly.

"The same way Wormtail did," said Harry reasonably. "We'll infiltrate the school in our animagus forms. You and I at least can blend in with our surroundings, and Hermione will be overlooked simply because she's a cat. And if somehow we are discovered, we'll take care of them. Once we retrieve this horcrux, the only thing left standing in our way will be Nagini and Voldemort himself."

"When do we leave?" sighed Lucius. He hoped Harry realised what he was in for when Severus discovered his plans. He'd be lucky if the vampire would let him out of bed ever again.

"No time like the present," said Harry determinedly.

"You just don't want Severus to find out," Lucius accused Harry. "You're afraid he'll stop you."

Harry shrugged. "Quit stalling, Lucius. The sooner we leave, the sooner we'll return." He wasn't stupid. He didn't need Lucius pointing out what Severus would do when he found out. He didn't really have a choice in the matter, though. The horcrux had to be destroyed, and it was located in Hogwarts.

"So be it," said Lucius resignedly. "We'll need to apparate to Hogsmeade and continue on to Hogwarts in our animagus forms."

Harry turned to Ron and looked pleadingly at the redhead. Ron sighed in resignation and said, "I'll distract them for as long as I can, but you owe me for this, Harry. I wouldn't face off against an angry vampire for anyone else, you know."

Harry grinned and hugged Ron quickly. "You're the best friend ever, Ron."

***

Harry changed into his mini-drake form and flew into Honeydukes, swooping down into the cellar to reach the secret passage. A few moments later, another mini-drake and a small cat joined him. Harry changed back and opened the passage.

"This passage will take us directly to the third floor in Hogwarts. Hermione, do you know where the Ravenclaw dormitories are?"

The cat morphed back into Hermione. "They're on the west side of the school. I'm not sure of the exact location, though."

"That will have to work. Hopefully, we'll be able to follow someone the rest of the way. Let's go."

Harry and Hermione transformed back and headed into the passage. When they reached the end of the passageway, Harry transformed and opened the passage door before changing right back. It was a good thing he did, too. As the two drakes and the cat stepped into the corridor, three dementors swept toward them, peering suspiciously into the open passageway.

Hermione meowed and bolted down the corridor with Lucius and Harry flying unnoticed above her. She streaked up the stairs until she reached the seventh floor and a familiar door stood before them. She transformed back and opened the door, hurrying inside, only to find Neville and Luna already in the room.

"Neville! Luna!"

"Hermione, you're all right! And you're here! Why are you here? Where's Ron and Harry?" asked Neville worriedly.

Harry transformed back and grinned at the other teen. "Did you miss me, Neville?"

Neville crowed in delight and rushed forward to hug Harry tightly. "I knew you'd come, Harry! I knew it!" He leapt back in horror, though, when Lucius appeared seemingly out of nowhere. "What is he doing here?"

"A lot has happened in the last few months," said Harry softly. "For one, Lucius is on our side now."

"He's a Death Eater, Harry. He's just trying to trick you," said Neville stubbornly.

"He's a Drake, Neville, and I'm his mate," said Harry patiently. "Vold-"

Neville quickly covered Harry's mouth before he could finish his word. "Don't say his name, Harry. It's taboo. You say his name, and they'll be able to find us." Harry nodded in understanding, and Neville removed his hand.

"The Dark Lord forced Lucius to drink a potion that activates any magical creature blood. You see, he thought Lucius was a veela, and he would have a new sex slave. However, he was in for a huge shock when Lucius turned into a Frost Drake instead," said Harry gleefully. "Lucius took out the whole roof when he escaped."

"So what's been happening here?" asked Hermione curiously.

Neville sighed softly. "It's not Hogwarts anymore. You know about the Carrows, right?"

"Yeah. I still can't believe the Ministry allowed two Death Eaters to teach here," said Harry bitterly.

"They do more than teach, Harry," said Neville soberly. "They're in charge of all discipline, and let me just say that they certainly like to dole out punishments. They even make Umbridge look tame. And what's worse, the other teachers have to refer us to the Carrows if we do anything wrong. Of course, they don't if they can avoid it because they hate the Carrows as much as we do."

"Amycus, the brother, he teaches the Dark Arts," said Luna. "Alecto, the sister, teaches muggle studies."

"Yeah, Amycus tries to make us practice the Cruciatus curse on people who've earned detention." Neville pointed to a deep gash on his cheek. "I refused, and this is what I got in return." He pointed to another gash on his face. "I got this one for asking Alecto how much Muggle blood she and her brother had because I was tired of listening to her go on about how Muggles are like animals and how stupid and dirty they are."

Luna smiled airily. "So what have you been up to, Harry?"

"I've been working on defeating Vol-... the Dark Lord. That's why I'm here, actually. There's something we need to find... something that belonged to Ravenclaw. Have either of you come across something with her eagle on it? I know it's at Hogwarts, but I don't know where exactly," said Harry quickly.

"Well, there's her lost diadem," said Luna softly. "The lost diadem of Ravenclaw. Daddy's trying to replicate it."

"When was it lost?" asked Harry eagerly.

"Centuries ago. Professor Flitwick says the diadem vanished with Ravenclaw herself, and nobodies found traces of it since," said Luna. "I can show you what it looks like, though. We have a statue with her wearing it in our common room."

"That would be great, Luna. Thanks," said Harry. Maybe he could use his power to see the past to find some clues while he was there.

"Follow me," said Luna, heading toward a small cupboard that opened onto a steep staircase.

Harry, Hermione, and Lucius transformed and followed the blonde girl onto the stairs. They hurried up the staircase until they reached a wall. Luna calmly reached out and touched the wall, waiting as it melted away, and slipped outside. As soon as they all passed through, the wall resealed itself.

Luna looked around and smiled. "We're on the fifth floor. This way." She headed toward a spiral staircase. They climbed up the stairs until they reached a door with no handle or keyhole. Luna reached out and knocked once, startlingly loud in the silence. The beak of the eagle on the knocker opened and asked, "Which came first, the phoenix or the flame?"

Harry transformed back, staring at the door incredulously. "What kind of question is that? Don't you guys have a password?"

"Oh no, you've got to answer a question," said Luna serenely.

"What if you get it wrong?" asked Harry nervously.

"Well, you have to wait for somebody who gets it right. That way you learn, you see?" said Luna calmly.

"Yeah," said Harry slowly. "We can't really afford to wait for anyone else, Luna."

"I see what you mean," said Luna seriously. "Well then, I think the answer is that a circle has no beginning."

"Well reasoned," said the eagle, and the door silently opened.

Harry looked curiously at the deserted common room. It was very different from Gryffindor. Blue and bronze curtains graced arched windows, painted stairs adorned the domed ceiling and midnight-blue carpet, and they had a wonderful view of the surrounding mountains. He saw a white marble statue of Ravenclaw and walked closer to it. Harry looked closely at the statue and saw a delicate-looking circlet on top of her head etched with tiny words. He climbed onto the plinth to read them.

"Wit beyond measure is man's greatest treasure," whispered Harry.

Just as he finished reading the inscription, the common room door opened. Harry immediately transformed into his drake form and darted into the shadows. He saw Alecto Carrow walk into the room, glaring at Luna evilly.

"Who were you talking to, girl?"

Luna smiled benignly. "Myself, of course. It helps with the boredom, you know."

Alecto sneered at the girl. "Why aren't you at breakfast with the rest of the students? You know what happens to those who don't follow the rules." She pulled out her wand and pointed it at Luna.

Lucius quickly transformed behind her and quietly whispered the killing curse, watching dispassionately as the woman fell lifelessly to the floor. Hermione changed back and glared at Lucius. "You didn't have to kill her, Lucius."

Lucius just raised an eyebrow at the irate girl. "Yes, I did. We're at war, Miss Granger, and we need to take out as many enemies beforehand as we possibly can. We don't need them coming up behind us sometime later because we merely stunned them now."

Hermione scowled at Lucius and opened her mouth to argue, but Harry transformed and stepped out of the shadows. "Hermione, Lucius is right. This is one enemy I don't want to have to worry about later on. Right now, we need to find the diadem without the Vol-... the Dark Lord discovering our presence here."

Hermione's lips tightened in displeasure, but she reluctantly nodded.

Harry turned back toward the statue and placed his hand on the smooth marble. He slowly lowered his shields and gasped at the images that flooded his brain.

"_Mother, it's beautiful" _

_Rowena smiled at the teenaged girl beside her. "Yes, he did very well, Helena."_

"_May I please try on the diadem?"_

"_Not right now, Helena dear. One day soon, though," said Rowena regretfully._

Harry jerked his hand away from the statue with a gasp. He'd seen that girl before, here at Hogwarts. The Grey Lady!

"Harry, what did you see?" asked Hermione quickly.

"We need to find the Grey Lady. I think she knows where the diadem is," said Harry.

"But she could be anywhere in the castle, Harry. We're trying to stay hidden, and we need to do something about her," said Hermione, pointing to Alecto's body.

Lucius calmly cast Incendio on Alecto's body and banished the remains. "Let's go."

Harry and Lucius immediately transformed and flew toward the door. Hermione sighed and looked at Luna, who just smiled airily and headed toward the door. Hermione finally transformed and followed them out of the room.

At the foot of the stairs, Harry glimpsed a ghostly white figure at the end of the corridor and flew in that direction. As he neared the ghost, however, he saw that it was Hufflepuff's ghost, the Friar. Luna finally caught up with him and smiled at the ghost.

"Good morning, Friar," she said sweetly. "Have you seen the Grey Lady around lately?"

"The Grey Lady? I'm afraid I haven't. She may be in the Great Hall, though."

The two drakes immediately darted toward the stairs. With an irritated meow, Hermione shot off after them while Luna thanked the Friar and followed at a more leisurely pace. The drakes had the advantage, though. They bypassed the stairs completely, diving toward the ground at a rapid pace.

Harry and Lucius reached the entrance hall just in time to see the Grey Lady drift through the wall, leading to another corridor. They followed her into the corridor and saw her at the end of the passageway. Harry quickly transformed and yelled, "Hey! Come back!"

The Grey Lady paused and looked at him curiously.

"You're Rowena Ravenclaw's daughter, aren't you? Helena?"

She looked at him in surprise. She didn't think anyone was aware of her relationto the famed Founder. "Yes, I am."

"I need to know anything you can tell me about the lost diadem."

Helena gave him a cold smile. "I'm afraid that I can't help you." She turned to leave, but Harry moved between her and the wall.

"This is urgent. If that diadem is at Hogwarts, I need to find it," said Harry fiercely.

"You are hardly the first student to covet the diadem," Helena sneered.

"I don't bloody care about the diadem itself. I need that diadem to defeat Vol- the Dark Lord... to protect Hogwarts. Or aren't you interested in that?"

Helena glared at Harry. "Of course I care about Hogwarts! How dare you-"

Harry interrupted her tirade with an impassioned, "Help me then!"

Helena stared at Harry a moment longer and finally said, "I stole the diadem from my mother and ran away with it. When my mother fell ill, she sent a man to find me. The man loved me despite my constant refusals, and she knew he would not stop until he had done as she asked."

Helena looked away, a look of long remembered pain on her face. "He tracked to the forest where I was hiding, and when I refused to return with him, he flew into a rage and stabbed me. The Baron was always a hot-tempered man."

"The Baron?" asked Harry incredulously. "You mean-?"

"Yes, the Bloody Baron," said Helena, lifting her cloak aside to reveal a single dark wound in her chest. "When he realised what he'd done, he killed himself."

"And the diadem?"

"It remained where I had hidden it when I heard the Baron blundering through the forest toward me. It was concealed inside a hollow tree," said Helena.

"Where was this?" asked Harry.

"A forest in Albania."

"Albania." A place Voldemort had spent an innumerable amount of time, before and after his first defeat. "You've already told someone this story, haven't you? Another student?"

Helena closed her eyes and nodded. "I had no idea he would... he seemed to... understand... sympathise."

Harry sighed softly. Yes, Tom Riddle was very persuasive, and he would understand perfectly the desire to possess such a prize. "Well, you weren't the first person Riddle tricked into spilling their secrets."

So Voldemort discovered the location of Ravenclaw's precious item. He'd traveled to Albania, probably as soon as he left Hogwarts, and retrieved the diadem, turning it into a horcux. But when did he return it to Hogwarts? He hadn't been back except for...

"He returned to ask Dumbledore for the DADA position," said Harry softly. "That's when he brought the diadem here. He must have hidden the diadem on his way to or from Dumbledore's office."

As he pondered the location of the diadem, he suddenly knew exactly where it was. He remembered hiding Severus' Potions book in the Room of Requirement and placing a wig and battered tiara atop a statue's head. It was the perfect hiding place since so few people knew about it at the time.

"Thanks," said Harry, bowing briefly to Helena and transforming back into his drake form. He flew out of the corridor, passing Hermione and Luna, and headed back toward the staircase with Lucius right behind him. Hermione growled angrily and shot after them. She was bloody tired of being left all the damn time.

Harry made it to the seventh floor and flew back to the Room of Requirement. Neville was the only one in the room when he entered. He transformed and said, "Neville, I need to find something in here. Can you leave for just a few minutes?"

"How close are you to defeating him, Harry?" asked Neville seriously.

Harry felt Lucius settle on his left shoulder and smiled briefly. "So close I can almost taste it."

Neville nodded in satisfaction and left the room without another word. Harry left the room and paced the corridor, thinking 'I need the place where everything is hidden.' On his third pass, the door appeared, and Harry hurried back inside. The room he entered was the size of a cathedral but looked like a city. The walls were built from objects hidden by thousands of former students.

Harry looked around in disbelief. This could take a while. He looked at the drake on his shoulder. "We may as well split up. Lucius, you take that side. Look for a stone bust of an old man wearing a wig and a tiara. It should be standing on a cupboard."

Lucius transformed and headed in the direction Harry pointed him. Harry headed in the opposite direction, searching for anything familiar from his last trip into the room. As he went deeper into the cluttered room, he finally saw it. He quickly wrapped the wig around the diadem and tucked it into his pocket. There was no telling what kind of spells were on the bloody thing.

"Lucius! I found it!"

Lucius turned into a drake and flew toward Harry. The brunette grinned triumphantly and changed into his drake form. They flew out of the room and saw a very angry cat sitting in the middle of the corridor. She hissed at the two drakes, her fur standing straight.

Harry changed back and tried to placate the angry feline. "Don't be so mad, Hermione. I got the diadem. We can go back home now."

Hermione growled once more, turned around, and stalked off. Harry just shrugged and turned into a drake, following his miffed friend back to the third floor. They hurried passed the dementors patrolling the corridor, and Hermione transformed long enough to open the passageway before turning into a cat again.

Once they were back in Hogsmeade, they quickly apparated back to the safe house. Harry only had time to take the diadem out of his pocket and hand it to Hermione before Severus stormed into the room, snarling in absolute fury. He stopped in front of Harry with a dark scowl on his face.

"You aren't leaving this house ever again," growled Severus. "I turn my back for five minutes, and you run off Death Eater Central. What if the Dark Lord discovered your presence there?"

"I had to, Severus. The last horcrux was there," said Harry nervously, pointing to the wig wrapped diadem in Hermione's hands. "Only Nagini is left now."

Severus didn't even look at the diadem. He simply transferred his glare to Lucius. "Why didn't you stop him? Are you trying to get him killed?"

Lucius raised his eyebrow at Severus. "I'd like to see you stop him, Severus. I did the only thing I could, and that was go with him to keep him safe."

Severus growled in frustration. Harry stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Severus' waist, laying his on the other man's chest. "It's almost over, Severus. We now have the means to defeat the Dark Lord for good."

Severus sighed and held Harry close. When he'd come into the library and found the Weasley brat all alone, a tight knot of dread settled in the pit of his stomach. And when Ron refused to look at him, Severus knew that Harry had done something stupidly rash. And then the redheaded brat had the audacity to transform into a fox, running out of the room before he could drag any information from the annoying teen.

As if summoned, a little red fox ran into the room with an excited yip. In the next moment, Ron stood in front of them with a wide grin. "Did you get it?" When Harry nodded, Ron punched him in the arm, ignoring the warning growl from Severus. "That's for leaving me to deal with an angry vampire. I had to hide to keep from telling him where you went. You owe me big for this."

"Be thankful you stayed," said Hermione irritably. "I spent the whole time chasing after him. It gets tiresome very quickly. I think I would have preferred the angry vampire."

"Where's Draco?" asked Harry curiously, noticing the younger blonde's absence.

"He's working on a few potions," said Severus shortly.

"So what's for lunch? I'm starving," said Ron, rubbing his stomach. At the incredulous looks from everyone, he shrugged. "I've burned a lot of energy in the last three hours. The first two hours, I was worried Snape was going to show up, and the last hour, I was running and hiding."

Harry and Hermione just laughed at Ron, the tension in the room broken by Ron's bottomless stomach. This was familiar territory with them. Ron was always hungry, and it didn't matter what was going on at the time.


	16. Chapter 16

Chapter 16

Supper was a strained affair, the easy atmosphere from earlier replaced by a tense silence broken only by the occasional murmur from Hermione and Ron. Severus ignored everyone, preferring to scowl down at his plate while Lucius continually annoyed everyone by smirking knowingly. Draco just kept looking at them all curiously, no doubt wondering what the bloody hell was going on, and Ron and Hermione tried to break the uncomfortable silence with pointless chatter.

Harry sighed softly and listlessly picked at his food, uneasy with tense silence at the table. He should have known better than to think his meagre explanations would solve everything. Severus was deliberately needling at him by lowering his Occlumency shields so that he knew exactly what the vampire was feeling. The mixture of impatience, simmering anger, possessiveness, lingering worry, and dread were giving him a massive headache. Lucius' emotions weren't helping much, either. Harry scowled at the feelings of smugness and anticipation rolling off the blonde.

He finally couldn't stand it anymore. "Stop it! Both of you!" snapped Harry, slamming his fork down onto the table. The loud noise just made his headache worse, and he rubbed his aching temples with a pained grimace.

Lucius looked at him innocently, knowing exactly what Harry meant. "Stop what, Harry?" His eyes narrowed, though, when he saw the obvious pain on Harry's face.

Harry glared at the blonde, ignoring the sharp burst of worry coming from Lucius. "You know exactly what you're doing, you smug bastard." He turned his glare toward Severus. "And you! I did what I had to do, so stop trying to make me feel guilty. All you're doing is giving me a headache."

Severus scowled at Harry, but almost immediately the influx of emotions from Severus stopped as the vampire used his Occlumency to shield his emotions. "You should have told me, and you know it."

"You wouldn't have let me go," snapped Harry, his headache getting worse by the minute.

"Well, of course not!" snarled Severus. "Hogwarts is under the control of the very people who want to kill you."

Harry crossed his arms and glared at the vampire. "This is pointless. I had to get that diadem. Otherwise the battle against Voldem-" His tirade was cut short when Lucius slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Don't say his name," hissed Lucius. "It's taboo. Do you want him to find us?"

Harry knocked Lucius' hand away with a frustrated growl. "Fine! Without that diadem, Tom has already won. So I'm sorry you're still upset, but this is something you just can't protect me from. I'm the only who can defeat him."

"I know that!" snapped Severus. "You still should have told me! Do you have any idea how I felt when I realised where you had gone? And that little brat wouldn't tell me anything!" That last statement was punctuated with a sharp jab in Ron's direction.

Ron looked up and shrugged unrepentedly. "I'm not stupid. I said I would stall for time, not lay down my life. Giving an angry vampire bad news is sheer suicide."

Draco looked around the table in confusion. He hated not knowing what was going on, and unfortunately where Harry was concerned, it happened quite a lot. "Wait! You three went to Hogwarts today?"

Ron stared at Draco as though the blonde had grown another head. "Where the bloody hell have you been all day? Under a rock?"

Draco scowled at Ron and crossed his arms petulantly. "Stuck in the lab and making potions all day. No wonder Severus was so angry when he came back from the library." He turned his gaze toward Harry. He wanted to ask, but he was apprehensive about what Harry might say. "What was it like?" Draco was shocked by the look of despair that crossed Harry's face. "Was it that bad?"

"Yes, Draco, it was," said Harry softly, shuddering slightly as he remembered his trip to Hogwarts. It was a far cry from the home he'd grown to love, and he hated Voldemort and his Death Eaters for taking that from him. "The Carrows are in charge of discipline, and I believe you know what their idea of discipline is, right?"

Draco stared at Harry in horror. The Carrows? Who in their right mind would allow them around children? "Are you serious? Are they trying to kill off the students?"

Hermione laughed bitterly. "Only the ones who don't mindlessly obey. The Death Eater wanna be's are absolutely loving it. You should see what they've done to poor Neville."

"He's well on his way to looking like Mad-eye Moody," said Harry, recalling the numerous scars marring the other teen's face. "He's quite unpopular with the Carrows."

Hermione smiled proudly. "Yeah, he's showing them what a true Gryffindor he is."

"I always knew Longbottom was a little slow, but this is ridiculous. Has he lost his mind? Is he trying to get himself killed?" asked Draco incredulously.

"He's standing up for what he believes in," said Hermione fiercely, jumping to Neville's defence.

"What good will that do when they kill him for it?" asked Draco bluntly. "He needs to learn how to keep his mouth shut and his head down."

"You mean take the coward's way out," snapped Hermione angrily. "Neville's not a bloody Slytherin. He's not a cowardly snake."

Harry stared at Hermione in shock. He couldn't believe she had just said that. That was the kind of prejudicial statement Ron would make, not Hermione. "Hermione, that's enough." He didn't need to look around the table to see the anger on the three Slytherin's faces to know they were furious at Hermione's statement. He could feel it battering at his senses.

Hermione turned and glared at him. She started to say something else, but Harry quickly cut her off. "That was uncalled for and extremely unfair. Slytherin is not synonymous with coward, and you damn well know it. Risking his life as a spy on an almost daily basis is not the actions of a coward, Hermione. Going into the Ministry, knowing full well that you'll be killed if you're caught, is not the actions of a coward. So don't call someone a coward just because they're Slytherin."

Hermione looked away in shame. She could feel the three Slytherins' glares boring into her, and she knew she deserved it. Draco was just stating his honest opinion, and she had no right to call him a coward for it. After all, there had been several instances over the years when she'd kept her mouth shut and her head down. "You're right, and I'm sorry. I just want this to be over, Harry. I'm tired of living in fear."

"We all are, Hermione," said Harry softly. Hermione's anger was completely gone, but Harry could feel a steady thrum of worry and sadness coming from the girl. "I'm doing the best I can, though."

Hermione nodded and smiled wanly. "I know, Harry." She looked at Draco, Lucius, and Severus. "I apologise for my atrocious behaviour." She pushed back from the table and stood. "I think I'm going to go lie down for a while. Goodnight, Harry."

"Goodnight, Hermione," said Harry with a weary smile. He watched her leave with a heavy heart. He wanted this war to be over, too. He wanted to be able to enjoy his life with Lucius and Severus without the threat of Voldemort constantly looming over him. That is if he somehow managed to survive that long.

"Don't let it get to you, Harry. She's not blaming you," said Ron quietly. "She's jut got a lot on her mind, and I think it's finally caught up to her, you know. She Obliviated her parents and sent them to Australia to keep them safe. They aren't even aware that they have a daughter now."

Harry immediately pushed away from the table and jumped to his feet, running out of the room to find Hermione. As he stopped in front of her bedroom door, he heard her crying inside. Harry hesitantly opened the door and peered inside. Hermione was curled up in the centre of the bed with a pillow clutched to her chest, sobbing her heart out.

Harry stepped into the room unnoticed and gently shut the door behind him. "Why didn't you tell me, Hermione?"

Hermione gasped and hurriedly scrubbed the tears from her face. She couldn't believe Harry had found her in this state. "Tell you what?"

Harry sat down on the edge of the bed. "About your parents, Hermione. I can't even imagine what you're feeling right now." Hermione snorted at his choice of words, and Harry blushed slightly. "Okay, I know what you're feeling. What I meant to say, was I can't imagine what I would do if I were in the same position. This must be killing you inside."

Hermione broke down into tears once more, burying her face in Harry's side and wrapping her arms around his waist. She'd come to terms with her decision months ago, and she didn't know why she was so affected by it now. But it wasn't just her parents that bothered her. It was the reality of what Hogwarts had become that upset her so much. Why did it have to come to that?

"Did you know that Dumbledore planned for me to die in the final battle?" asked Harry idly.

Hermione jerked away from Harry and sat up, staring at him shock. "What?"

Harry nodded calmly. "Yeah. It turns out that the scar Tom gave me when I was a year old was actually a horcrux."

Hermione automatically looked at his scarred forehead only to blink in surprise. The scar was completely gone. How had she missed that? "Your scar's gone. How?"

Harry smiled brilliantly at the witch. It was nice to know someone actually saw him instead of that damn scar. "Drakes are immune to such dark magic. Like Lucius' Dark Mark, the horcrux was destroyed when I completed my first transformation."

Hermione grinned exuberantly and threw her arms around Harry's neck, hugging the brunette tightly. "That's great!"

"Yes, it is. No more visions from old snake-face," said Harry happily.

"How did you find out, though?" asked Hermione curiously.

Harry's smile disappeared as he remembered that fateful night. "I saw it when I touched Severus when he returned from a Death Eater meeting. It wasn't a pleasant experience, I'll tell you that much. I was devastated to learn that I was nothing more than an expendable tool to Dumbledore."

Hermione sighed and rested her head on Harry's shoulder. "He was a fool, Harry. In his opinion, the needs of the many outweighed the needs of the few, and unfortunately, you were one of the few."

Harry snorted derisively. "You don't have to tell me that. He forced me to go back to the hell that was the Dursley's every summer because Merlin forbid should the little horcrux die before it was time. It would have served him right if I had died from starvation or something instead."

Hermione raised her head up to look at Harry. "Don't talk like that. You're not a horcrux anymore, Harry. This is your chance to live life to the fullest. Forget Dumbledore."

Harry nodded. "Yeah, I can do that." He hugged her briefly and climbed to his feet. "Thanks, Hermione. You've always been there for me, and I appreciate that more than you can possibly know." With that said, Harry walked out of the room.

Hermione smiled softly. "You're more than welcome, Harry," she whispered into the empty room.

***

"Granger Obliviated her parents?" asked Draco incredulously. "Why in Merlin's name would she do that?"

"For one, Hermione is one of Harry's best friends," said Ron scathingly. "As such, she is a prime target. Her parents are muggles and have no defence against any Death Eaters who may try to attack. And for another, Hermione is muggleborn, and with the Ministry's current policies, her parents would once again be caught in the middle. So to keep them safe, she modified their memories and shipped them off to Australia."

Draco looked at his father and shivered. Would he have the strength to do what Hermione did if his father was in such danger? Probably not.

"My situation, though, is slightly different," continued Ron, oblivious to Draco's inner struggles. "My family is Pureblood, so we have a bit more protection. Besides, the Ministry is under the impression that I have a bad case of spattergroit."

Severus and Lucius stared at Ron with a new sense of respect. They were amazed at the lengths Harry's two friends had gone to just so they could stand by him until the end. That kind of loyalty was rare these days. The loyalty wasn't just on their side, though. They knew that Harry was just as loyal them.

"Harry's more than just my best friend, though," said Ron seriously. "He's part of my family. Any one of us would do anything for him." He suddenly glared at Lucius and Severus. "And if either of you do anything to hurt him, we'll utterly destroy you. The twins are especially fond of Harry, you know."

Lucius and Severus shuddered at the threat. They didn't want the twins ire focussed on them. Their pranks had only gotten more creative as the years passed.

Ron saw their reaction and nodded in satisfaction. It wasn't just an idle threat, and they knew it. "With that said, welcome to the family."

Draco looked utterly scandalised. A part of the Weasley family? Surely not. However, a glance in his father's direction confirmed it. Lucius had a look of amused resignation on his face. How had they sunk so low?

"They grow on you, Draco."

Draco jumped in surprise at Harry's voice and turned to face the brunette. He was surprised to see a smile on Harry's face after the way he'd run from the room earlier. "What are you so happy about?"

Harry just shrugged and sat back down at the table. "It's just nice to have a family that actually cares about me." He looked at Ron and smirked. "Threatening them with the twins, Ron? I'm surprised at you. Bill's the one they need to worry about. He probably knows more curses than both of them combined."

Ron snickered. "No, mate. He may know more curses, but he's more inclined to attack physically. Mum's the one that could do the most damage. After all, she's had practise with all of us."

"Okay, we get the point," said Lucius ruefully. "We hurt Harry, and the entire Weasley clan will take a shot at killing us."

"Not to mention an angry werewolf," said Ron brightly. "Harry's his cub, too." He suddenly bounced in his seat and turned toward Harry. "Remus and Tonks got married. Oh, and Tonks is pregnant. Moony wanted us to tell you that he's naming you the baby's godfather."

Harry grinned widely. "Seriously? When did all this happen?"

"They were married this summer," said Ron. "He probably forgot to tell you with all the excitement that happened on your birthday, what with the Dursley's house exploding and Lucius kidnapping you. He told us about the baby a couple of weeks before we left to find you."

"I'm gonna be a godfather, Ron," said Harry happily. He was honoured that Remus had chosen him to entrust his child to if anything happened to him and Tonks. And one day, maybe he could have a family of his own.

It was then and there that Lucius and Severus vowed to give Harry children of his own to love and cherish once the war was over. They would do anything to keep that look on their mate's face.

"Yeah, Mum's jealous now. She keeps asking Bill when he's gonna give her a few grandkids," said Ron.

Harry snickered. He could see Mrs. Weasley doing just that. She thrived the most when she had someone to love and nurture.

"Of course, now that you're practically married, she'll be hounding you next," Ron continued.

Harry stared at Ron blankly. "Why would she hound me? It's not like I can get pregnant or anything." Everyone turned and looked at him in shock. "What? You mean wizards can get pregnant?"

Ron groaned at Harry's ignorance. "I forget sometimes that you were raised by muggles. Yes, Harry, wizards can get pregnant. It's kinda rare, though. There only about five male pregnancies recorded a year."

"It's rare because there are several conditions that need to be met before a pregnancy can occur," explained Lucius.

"What kind of conditions?" asked Harry curiously.

"A wizard's power level, for one. It requires a large amount of power just for conception," said Lucius. "A magical creature bonding or soul mate bonding is also required because there has to be absolute compatibility for conception to occur. The last condition is perhaps the easiest to meet. The wizard in question has to want the pregnancy wholeheartedly for it to even be possible."

Harry looked down at the table thoughtfully. Could he truly have a family of his own. He met at least two of those requirements, but was he really powerful enough to become pregnant?

Severus saw the indecision on Harry's face. He tilted Harry's face up and said, "Never fear, Harry. We'll have a family soon. If nothing else, there are many orphaned children we could adopt."

"Really?" asked Harry hopefully. He looked at Lucius. "You would adopt a child into the Malfoy family?"

Lucius smirked slightly. "Yes, I would. A blood adoption ritual would make any child we adopt ours in blood and magic."

Harry beamed at Lucius and Severus. With that promise in mind, Harry was more determined than ever to finish this war.

Draco groaned softly. "Oh, great. Judging by the look on Harry's face, you three will end up with enough kids to rival the Weasley's."

Harry grinned unabashed. "That just means more siblings for you to spoil, Draco."

Draco rolled his eyes. "I am overwhelmed with joy."


	17. Chapter 17

Chapter 17

Feeling slightly better after her conversation with Harry, Hermione went into the bathroom and scrubbed her tear stained face. As she walked back into her room, she saw the bundle Harry had given her when they'd returned from Hogwarts on the dresser. Her curiosity getting the best of her, Hermione unwrapped the priceless Ravenclaw relic. Reading the inscription etched into the diadem, she had an almost irresistible urge to put it on. According to the legend, the wearer of this diadem would possess unparalleled wisdom. It was an extraordinary gift she would give nearly anything to possess.

The diadem called out to her, a soft, seductive voice tempting her with the knowledge it could bestow. Hermione reached out and reverently traced the silver metal with her fingertips. She carefully picked up the diadem, raising it slowly toward her head. Something inside of her screamed at her to let go of the diadem, but a louder voice in her head, whispering alluring promises, overrode everything else.

"Hermione, are you in there?" said Ron, knocking on the door.

Hermione started in surprise and accidentally dropped the diadem. Her mind clearing sharply with the interruption, she stared at the diadem in confusion and dawning horror. What was she doing? She had almost put that thing on her head! She felt utterly sick at the thought. There was no telling what kind of curses were on the horcrux, and she'd mindlessly tried to put it on.

Ron knocked once again. "Hermione! Can you hear me? Come on, Hermione. Open the door."

Hermione jumped to her feet, backing fearfully away from the diadem, and shakily opened the door. She took one look at Ron's face and burst into tears, throwing herself into the bewildered redhead's arms. Accidental though it was, Ron had saved her life.

"What's wrong, Hermione?" asked Ron worriedly.

"Get it out of here, Ron. Please! I don't want to see it again," sobbed Hermione brokenly.

"Get what, Hermione? I can't help you if you won't tell me what's wrong," said Ron softly, trying vainly to calm the hysterical girl. "What happened?"

Hermione buried her face in Ron's chest and clutched his shirt in her fists. "The diadem!" She took a deep breath and shuddered. "Take the diadem to Harry. I can't... I almost put that thing on my head, Ron! Get it out of here!"

Ron gasped sharply and hugged Hermione harder, stunned at the knowledge that he could have very easily lost her tonight. Kissing her on the forehead, he gently pushed her behind him. "Stay right here. I'll get the diadem."

Entering the room cautiously, Ron grabbed one of the blankets off the bed and quickly wrapped the diadem in it. He reluctantly picked up the bundle, holding it out at arms length, and hurried out of the room. He headed toward the dining room, hoping Harry was still there.

Hermione shied away as Ron got near, deathly afraid the horcrux would affect her once more. She couldn't help but sigh in relief when Ron disappeared around the corner and shakily sat on her bed. She didn't think she'd ever been so scared before. Not even the Ministry fiasco and having to face off against seasoned Death Eaters had shaken her this badly. It was a horrifying experience to have your control stripped away in such a manner.

As much as she wanted to help Harry during these hard times, destroying the horcruxes was one thing he would have to do on his own. Hermione didn't think she could stand to look at another one after what happened tonight.

HPHP

Ron ran into the dining room, almost tripping over his own feet. He was relieved to see that Harry, Lucius, and Snape were still at the table, talking quietly. "Harry, you have to destroy this now!" He set the bundled blanket on the table and hurriedly backed up a few steps.

Harry saw how pale Ron was and climbed to his feet with a worried frown. "What happened, Ron?"

Ron pointed an accusing finger at the bundle on the table. "That bloody diadem tried to possess Hermione. If I hadn't knocked on the door, she would have put it on!"

"What? Is she all right?" asked Harry frantically.

"Of course she's not all right. She's scared to death, Harry," snapped Ron. "This is your fault, so why don't you just hurry up and destroy it? You never should have given it to her."

Harry looked away from Ron, feeling hurt that Ron would place the blame solely at his feet. It wasn't as though he had known something like this would happen. After all, the horcrux in the diary hadn't begun to affect Ginny until she started writing in it, and Dumbledore had been affected when he put the ring on, but he'd done so of his own free will, wanting to use the Resurrection Stone to see his family one last time.

Feeling the cloying fear and blame rolling off of Ron, Harry silently grabbed the bundled diadem and walked out of the room. Obviously, he never should have involved his friends with this task. All he ever managed to do was put them in even more danger.

"You are an idiot, Weasley," growled Severus, pinning the redheaded teen with a cold glare. "How many more times are you going to betray his trust?" With an angry snarl, Severus stalked out of the room after Harry.

Ron felt terrible now. "Why can't I ever keep my big mouth shut?" he muttered softly. Unfortunately, he completely forgot that Lucius was still in the room.

"Those are my thoughts exactly, Mr. Weasley," said Lucius bitingly, sneering when Ron flinched guiltily. "I believe you and Miss Granger are the ones who insisted on helping Harry with this. I would have been perfectly happy if you both had stayed in hiding. After all, it's not like you've helped much so far. And if you think I am going to allow you to blame Harry for every little thing that goes wrong, you have another think coming. You knew the dangers before you offered your help."

"I know that,"said Ron miserably. "I didn't really mean it, though. I was just scared. Hermione was nearly hysterical, and it absolutely terrified me. I've never seen her cry like that."

"That doesn't justify you blaming Harry," said Lucius unsympathetically. "He gets enough of that from the majority of the Wizarding World. You are supposed to be his best friend and should be above such nonsense."

"I'm sorry, okay? I have a habit of saying stupid things when I'm scared or angry," said Ron, sighing in frustration. "I'm trying to do better, but it takes time."

Lucius glared menacingly at Ron. "I suggest you try harder and break that habit now because if you hurt my Harry like that again, I will make you regret your words in the most painful way possible."

Ron flinched at the threat and watched the blonde warily as Lucius stalked out of the room. He knew he'd fucked up royally. All he could do now was try to repair the damage he'd done and pray that Harry forgave him once again.

HPHP

Harry walked into his bedroom and locked the door behind him. He tossed the diadem onto the floor and grabbed the Gryffindor sword off the dresser. With a dark scowl, he brought the sword down, shattering the diadem into several pieces. A dark cloud seeped from the broken pieces and disappeared with one final shriek. Harry carelessly dropped the sword and staggered back a few steps, feeling as though a great weight had just lifted from his shoulders. It was almost over.

Gathering the pieces of the diadem together, Harry set them on the shelf with the rest of the destroyed horcruxes. He would take great delight in presenting them to Voldemort when he finally faced him. Voldemort would soon learn to truly fear death.

"That friend of yours is an idiot, and you would be wise to ignore what he said."

Harry looked toward the door and saw Severus leaning against the doorframe. He smiled wanly. "Who ever thought the day would come that Severus Snape would console Harry Potter over something like hurt feelings?"

"We all have to grow up sometime," said Severus reasonably.

Harry snickered softly and walked up to the vampire, wrapping his arms around Severus' waist and laying his head on the other man's chest. "Some longer than others, though." He sighed and snuggled into the comfort Severus offered. He knew Ron was just upset about Hermione, but it still hurt that Ron automatically blamed him for what happened.

"Mr. Weasley certainly does have a long way to go," agreed Severus.

"This is something we all agree on," said Lucius, pushing Severus and Harry further into the room and shutting the door. "However, I do believe he will refrain from such comments in the future."

Severus raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "And what in Merlin's name makes you believe that? The annoying child has not shown an ability to keep his mouth shut until now."

"Let's just say that I've put the fear of Merlin in him," said Lucius smugly.

Severus snorted. "You threatened to use the vast knowledge of dark curses on his hide if he hurt Harry again, didn't you?"

"I certainly did," said Lucius judiciously. He suddenly pulled Harry out of Severus' arms and pushed the teen toward the bed. "I know just the thing to make you feel better, Harry."

Harry fell onto the bed with a splutter of laughter. He was quite sure Lucius would hold to that promise.

HPHP

Draco pulled a book off the shelf and settled at his favourite table to read. However, he just stared blindly at the open book. A pang of loneliness shot through him. Until Harry had befriended him, he'd never had a true friend, someone he could trust unconditionally and rely on. He'd also never been in a real relationship, and that's what hit him the hardest. He had no one who loved him like Harry did.

If he was honest with himself, Draco couldn't imagine himself with anyone from Slytherin. All of the Slytherins he knew personally were potential Death Eaters or too self serving to care for anyone but themselves. Maybe he was just destined to be alone.

Draco heard the library door open and looked up to see Hermione walk into the room. She was pale and looked like she'd been crying. She stumbled over to the armchair in front of the fireplace and curled up in it, hugging her knees to her chest as she stared blankly into the flames.

With a soft sigh, Draco shut his book and climbed to his feet. He walked over to Hermione and hesitantly asked, "Are you all right, Hermione?" Where the hell was Weasley? It was his job to comfort the wench, not his.

Hermione sniffled slightly. "No, I am very far from all right. Almost dying does that to you."

Draco blinked in surprise. "What happened?"

Hermione looked at Draco for a long moment. "I got careless. My curiosity got the better of me, and I was almost cursed by a very dark artefact."

"When did this happen?" asked Draco curiously.

Hermione sighed softly, debating on just how much to tell Draco. She didn't actually think he would betray them to Voldemort, especially since his father was mated to Harry, but she couldn't be too careful with this knowledge. She finally decided to just go ahead and tell him.

"Have you ever heard of a horcrux?"

Draco pondered the question, trying to recall if he'd ever heard about them, but nothing came to mind. "No, I don't believe I have. What are they?"

Hermione smiled grimly. "A horcrux is made when a person splits their soul and puts a fragment in another object. A person who has a horcrux can never truly die because a potion of their soul is still alive."

Draco paled in realisation. "That's how the Dark Lord survived. He had a horcrux."

Hermione shook her head. "Not a horcrux. He had seven horcruxes."

"Seven?" Draco repeated numbly. No wonder the bastard was completely insane. He wasn't naive. He knew the only way to split a soul was to commit a murder beforehand. With his soul fragmented into so many pieces, it wasn't surprising that the man was so inhuman. "So the only way to kill him is to destroy the horcruxes first. How many have been destroyed?"

"I'm not sure, actually. I know Harry destroyed the diary, and the one within him was destroyed when he became an Earth Drake animagus," mused Hermione.

"Wait! Harry was a horcrux?" asked Draco incredulously.

Hermione nodded shortly. "Dumbledore destroyed Gaunt's ring, and Harry said Severus destroyed the locket. I know Harry found Hufflepuff's goblet, and we retrieved Ravenclaw's diadem, but I don't know if they've both been destroyed yet."

"Is that why you were upset earlier? Because of one the horcruxes?" asked Draco astutely.

Hermione shuddered. "I almost put it on my head. What's so bad is that I don't know if it was my own desire for the knowledge the diadem supposedly bestows when worn, or if the horcrux tried to possess me. I would have put it on if Ron hadn't knocked on my door when he did."

"So Weasley actually did something useful for once," said Draco, but the humour was a little flat. It was a sobering thought that something that evil was in the same house as him.

Hermione smiled fondly. "Yes, he did. He even wrapped the diadem in a blanket and took it to Harry because I was too hysterical to do anything but cry. I think I scared him more than the horcrux did."

Draco snickered at the image that popped in his head. He could just see the panic on Weasley's face as he tried to comfort his hysterical girlfriend. That was just too funny.

"Now there's just one horcrux left," said Hermione softly. "Nagini."

"That bloody snake is a horcrux?" yelped Draco, shuddering in disgust. "I'll be happy to see that thing destroyed."

"Me, too," whispered Hermione.

HPHP

Harry whimpered in pleasure as Lucius slammed into him, his cries muffled by the hard shaft in his mouth. Severus' hands were buried in his hair, guiding the rhythm of Harry's mouth. A hard hand wrapped around his aching cock, and Harry came with a muffled scream.

Lucius thrust twice more and came inside Harry. He slowly withdrew from Harry's tight arse and collapsed on the bed, watching as Severus pulled out of Harry's mouth and turned the spent teen around. Lifting Harry so that his legs were hooked over Severus' forearms, the vampire lowered Harry onto his hard shaft.

Severus effortlessly lifted and lowered Harry, groaning at the deliciously tight arse clinging to his dick. Licking over the claiming mark he'd placed on Harry's neck, Severus sank his fangs into the scar. Harry wailed and came again, his arse clenching around Severus' thrusting shaft and slumped against the vampire's chest. The taste of his mate's blood sent Severus over the edge, and he came with a muffled growl.

Severus reluctantly pulled his fangs out of Harry's neck, lapping up the droplets of blood that rose to the surface. Just as reluctantly, he lifted Harry off of him and settled the teen between him and Lucius.

As Harry curled up between his mates, he could only thank the gods for giving him this chance at love. For giving him this chance for a family of his own.


	18. Chapter 18

Chapter 18

After a night of worrying about his friendship with Harry, Ron lay in wait outside Harry's bedroom. As soon as the brunette walked out of his room the next morning, Ron pounced on the other teen and dragged the startled teen into the library. Ron quickly locked the door and turned to face his best friend.

"I'm sorry, Harry. What happened to Hermione wasn't your fault. Lucius was right. We knew the dangers the horcruxes posed before we agreed to join you, and I shouldn't have blamed you when something went wrong. Please, please forgive me."

Harry stared at Ron in surprise. The redhead looked like he hadn't slept at all. "Of course, I forgive you, Ron." How could he not? Ron was his best friend, and he could feel the genuine regret he felt for his actions last night.

Ron sagged against the door in relief. "Thank you, Harry." With that weight off his shoulders, Ron's sleepless night finally caught up with him. Ron gave a jaw-cracking yawn, and his eyes drooped sleepily.

Harry smiled at the redhead fondly, touched that Ron had worried so much about their friendship that he'd stayed up all night for the chance to apologise. "Get some sleep, Ron. I'll talk to you again when you wake."

With a tired nod, Ron stumbled out of the room. Harry shook his head in amusement and headed to the kitchen for breakfast. His smile widened when he saw that Lucius was already at the table.

Lucius looked up when Harry walked into the room. He saw the bright, cheerful grin on Harry's face and raised an eyebrow. "What has you in such a cheery mood, Harry?"

"Today is just off to a good start," said Harry happily. "Ron apologised just a minute ago. Apparently, a certain blonde I know took him to task for what he said last night, and he concluded that you were right."

"And Draco always said Weasley was too thick to learn anything," said Lucius sardonically. "I guess even the thickest bloke can learn from his mistakes eventually."

"Of course, they can," said Harry mischievously. "After all, you certainly did."

"Did you just compare my father to the Weasel, Harry?" asked Draco incredulously, stepping further into the room.

Harry grinned at the younger blonde. "Technically, I just called him thick, but take it however you want."

"Are you just gonna sit there and take that, Father?" demanded Draco.

Lucius got to his feet and calmly set his napkin down on the table. He suddenly reached for Harry, plucking the brunette out of his chair and tossing him over his shoulder. "No, Draco, I don't think I will. I think my little mate needs to be punished for that statement."

Harry just laughed as Lucius carried him out of the room. As he said before, today was a good day.

HPHP

The next two and half months passed by in a flash. It was now the middle of January, and Harry was training daily for the final battle. Lucius had the task of teaching him offensive curses and shields while Severus was teaching him to administer healing potions and minor healing spells. The healing spells came naturally to him, probably a result of his Earth Drake animagus form.

Today, though, Harry was in the library, researching more advanced healing spells. He wanted to be able to mend broken bones if needed. However, his studying was interrupted by the timid voice of a house elf.

"I is sorry to interrupt, Master Harry, but I has news from the Manor," said Toffee hesitantly.

"What is it, Toffee?" asked Harry kindly.

"Lord Voldie has put people in Master Malfoy's dungeons. Toffee only got two names. Olliander and Loony."

Harry stood up quickly. "Ollivander and Luna?"

Toffee smiled brightly. "Yes, Master Harry."

Harry tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Is there anything you can do to help them? Can you apparate them out of the dungeon and bring them here?"

"No, Master Harry. I is able to get them out of the dungeon, but here is under Fidelius. They not able to come unless Master Lucius gives them address," said Toffee.

Harry sighed softly. "Thank you for the news, Toffee. I will inform Lucius of what you told me."

Toffee nodded and bowed before popping out of the room.

Harry closed his book and stood from the table. He needed to find Lucius and Severus. He found Severus in the lab. "Have you seen Lucius?"

"He was in his study last I saw," said Severus absently, stirring his potion with intent focus.

Harry looked into the cauldron curiously, his nose wrinkling in disgust when he smelled the liquid inside. "You're making Pepper-Up? Why?"

"Draco is coming down with the flu. Hopefully, this will head it off before it gets worse," said Severus calmly.

"Are you almost done?"

Severus stirred the potion three more times and removed it from the heat. "I am now. Why?"

"I just got some information from Toffee, and I need to talk to you and Lucius," said Harry.

Severus raised an eyebrow and nodded toward the door. "After you."

Harry just smirked and headed toward the door. "You know you only want me to lead so you can look at my arse the whole way."

"And a lovely arse it is, so get moving," said Severus, leering at the teen.

HPHP

Lucius looked up in surprise when the study door opened. He smiled, though, when he saw Harry saunter into the room with Severus. "Got tired of studying?"

Harry sat down on the sofa with a sigh. "Actually, I was interrupted. Toffee had some news to report."

Lucius frowned slightly. "Why didn't she come to me then?"

Harry grinned smugly. "She likes me better, of course."

"Of course," said Lucius wryly. "So what did she have to say."

"Luna Lovegood and Ollivander are being kept in the Malfoy dungeons," said Harry wearily.

Severus scowled darkly. "What possible reason could he have for imprisoning them?"

"Luna's father runs the Quibbler," said Harry reasonably. "And I imagine he took Ollivander to get around our wand problem."

"What wand problem?" asked Severus.

Lucius groaned in realisation. "He doesn't want the same thing that happened in the graveyard to happen again."

"I asked Toffee if she could get them out of the dungeon and bring them here, but she said she couldn't because of the Fidelius Charm. Is there any other way to get them out?" asked Harry softly.

Severus sighed in resignation. "Have you forgotten what I am? Vampires can teleport through shadows. It doesn't matter if the building is protected by Fidelius or not. As long as there are no wards against vampires specifically, I can get in there. Of course, I could always take them to Grimmauld Place. It's still secure."

"I forgot about Grimmauld Place. It's been months since I've been there," said Harry with a deprecating smile. "That will work perfectly. You go and retrieve Luna and Ollivander, and I will meet you at Grimmauld Place to help heal them."

Severus nodded and headed toward the nearest shadow, disappearing into the darkness. Lucius and Harry hurried to Severus' lab and gathered every healing potion they could find. Lucius carried the box of potions to the fireplace and tossed a handful of floo powder onto the flames.

"Harry, you go first. I'll come through with the potions."

Harry nodded and flooed to Grimmauld Place, stumbling as he stepped out of the fireplace. A moment later, Lucius stepped into the room. Harry started up the stairs and called for Kreacher. The house-elf popped into the corridor ahead of Harry.

"Master is back! How may Kreacher help?"

"Kreacher, I need you to ready the two guest rooms. Severus will be here shortly with an injured witch and wizard," said Harry politely. "And once you are done with that, would you please prepare a warm broth for them both?"

"Of course, Master Harry. Right away," said Kreacher. Within minutes, he had both rooms cleaned and had started the broth.

Harry and Lucius went into the first guest room and started setting out the potions. With that done, Harry pulled the covers down on the bed and headed into the next room to do the same. He went back into the other guest room to wait for Severus.

Thirty minutes later, they were still waiting. Kreacher had already finished the broth and had brought two bowls upstairs. Lucius cast a warming charm on the soup while Harry paced the room restlessly.

"What's taking so long? Do you think something happened to them?" asked Harry worriedly.

"Harry, I'm sure they're fine. Severus is nothing if not cautious," said Lucius soothingly. As Harry started pacing once more, Lucius snaked his arms around Harry's waist and pulled the brunette against his chest. "He'll be here soon, so don't worry."

Harry nodded and leaned back against Lucius. He silently prayed that nothing had happened and that Severus was all right. As if the gods heard his prayers, Severus stepped out of the shadows with Ollivander's limp form over his shoulder and his hand around Luna's shoulders.

"Oh, thank Merlin you're all right. What took so long?" asked Harry. He looked at Luna carefully. "Are you hurt anywhere, Luna?"

Luna shook her head. "I'm fine, Harry. Mr. Ollivander, though, is in pretty bad shape."

"Lay him on the bed, Severus. Lucius, do you mind showing Luna to the other guest room? And make sure she eats that broth. There's no telling when the last time she ate decently was," ordered Harry.

Lucius immediately lead Luna out of the room as Severus placed Ollivander on the bed. Harry was shocked at the amount of damage done to the old wand maker. He quickly cast a diagnostic spell on the other man and winced at the list of injuries. Ollivander had three broken ribs, a broken arm, a ruptured spleen, hairline fractures in his pelvis and collar bone, nerve damage from overexposure to the Cruciatus Curse, and acute pneumonia.

Severus cursed when Harry told him exactly what was wrong and started barking orders. Harry quickly handed the vampire the necessary potions when needed and watched with bated breath as Severus cast several complex healing spells on the broken man.

Two hours later, their efforts finally paid off. Ollivander's wounds were nearly healed, and he was resting comfortably. Harry sighed wearily and pulled the covers over the sleeping wizard. It was only midday, but he was absolutely exhausted. He had a new respect for Madame Pomfrey's medical skills.

Hunger warred with exhaustion, though, and Harry finally decided to head to the kitchen to ask Kreacher to fix him something to eat. Kreacher was all too happy to fix him a few sandwiches. As Harry munched on his impromptu meal, Severus walked into the kitchen.

"Lucius went back to the safe house to get a few more potions. He should be back in a couple of hours," said Severus softly. "How are you feeling?"

"Exhausted," said Harry immediately. He looked at Severus and noticed a large rip in the vampire's robes. "What happened, Severus?"

Severus looked down at his torn robe and sighed. "Rodolphus got in a lucky hit. Unfortunately for him, it was the last spell he will ever cast. Fortunately for me, I heal a lot faster these days, so I wasn't incapacitated in the least."

"Were Luna and Ollivander the only prisoners?" asked Harry.

Severus looked grim at the question. "The only ones alive, at least."

"It will be over soon, Harry."

Harry looked up at Luna's voice and saw her standing at the door with an empty bowl in her hands. "Why do you say that, Luna?"

She calmly walked over to the sink and set her bowl down before taking a seat at the table. "I have faith in you, Harry. I always have."

Harry smiled at the blonde witch. "Thank you, Luna. That means a lot to me."

She nodded dreamily and climbed to her feet. She suddenly stepped behind Harry and whispered in his ear. "The life inside you will ensure your success." She then strolled serenely out of the kitchen.


	19. Chapter 19

Chapter 19

Harry stared down at the table, numb with shock from what Luna just said. She couldn't possibly mean he was... pregnant, could she? No, it was too soon. They were in the middle of war. He just couldn't be pregnant now. But she sounded so sure of herself. 'The life inside of you will ensure your victory.' That phrase kept running through his mind over and over again, and he suddenly knew that he was indeed pregnant.

Harry abruptly got to his feet, needing some time alone to think through the ramifications of this new situation. He headed toward the door, but Severus snagged his wrist as he passed. Harry's breath caught in his throat. How could he have forgotten that Severus was in the room? Had he heard what Luna said?

"What did she say, Harry?"

Well, that answered that question. What was he supposed to do now? He knew Severus and Lucius both would be overjoyed at the news of his pregnancy, but he also knew they wouldn't let him out of their sight once they found out. It wasn't fair to them to keep it secret, but he still had to defeat Voldemort, and the sooner the better.

"Something about prevailing against pesky nargles," said Harry softly, shrugging his shoulders with a wry grin. "You know how she is."

Severus stared at him suspiciously but let the answer slide for now. He knew Harry was hiding something, but he also knew his mate would just dig his heels in harder if he tried to force the truth out of him. He'd find out the truth soon enough.

"You look a little tired, Harry. Why don't you go back home and take a nap? I'll stay here with the invalids," said Severus. That way he could interrogate the little Ravenclaw to find out what she'd said to his little mate.

Harry smiled gratefully at the vampire. He needed to return anyway. Hopefully, Hermione would know a spell to confirm whether or not he truly was pregnant. "I think I will try to take a nap. I never realised healing was such hard work."

Severus used his grip on Harry's wrist to pull the teen down into his lap. "You did really well today, Harry. I'm proud of you."

Harry blushed at the unexpected praise. "You did all the work, Severus. I just helped."

"You're a natural at healing. Once you've trained a bit more, I think you'll be just as proficient as Madame Pomfrey," said Severus seriously. "Perhaps you should consider a career as a medi-wizard once the war is over."

"You just don't want me becoming an Auror," said Harry cheekily. He leaned back against Severus' chest with a contented sigh. "But maybe you're right. I'm tired of pursuing the enemy. I think being a healer would be perfect for me. I get to be a whole different kind of hero."

"You and your hero complex," said Severus with a long suffering sigh.

Harry just grinned impishly. "It's a gift."

Severus shook his head in exasperation. The brat would never change. He smiled softly and kissed the top of his mate's dark head. As exasperating as it was, Harry just wouldn't be the same without that hero complex.

Feeling the warm, loving emotions coming from Severus, Harry purred happily and nuzzled his face against the vampire's chest, drifting into a light doze.

HPHP

Draco coughed harshly as he walked toward Severus' room. His godfather was supposed to be working on some Pepper-Up for his cold, but he should have been done hours ago. What was taking so long?

Draco knocked on the door. "Severus, are you done yet?" Severus didn't answer, so Draco knocked on the door again. "Severus, are you in there?" Still no answer. Draco sighed miserably and coughed some more, leaning wearily against the door. "I hate being sick." He heard footsteps coming nearer and straightened up, only to collapse back against the door when he saw his father heading toward him.

Lucius looked at Draco in surprise. "You should be in bed, Draco. What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to know what was taking Severus so long with the Pepper-Up," said Draco tiredly. "He's not here, though."

"No, he's at Grimmauld Place," said Lucius.

"What's he doing over there? He's supposed to be making me a potion," said Draco indignantly, breaking off into another fit of coughing.

Lucius opened the door to Severus' lab and ushered Draco inside. Lucius headed directly to the potions cabinet and started pulling phials off the shelf. Draco stared at his father in bemusement for a moment and shook his head. He didn't want to know. He saw the cauldron off to the side and almost wept in relief. Severus hadn't forgotten him.

Draco grabbed an empty phial and quickly ladled some of the precious Pepper-Up into the glass container, gulping it down almost immediately. He grimaced as smoke shot from his ears, but it was so worth it. He could practically feel the potion run through his body, eradicating all traces of his miserable cold.

After several long moments, Draco sighed in relief. His fever was almost gone, as well as the deep hacking coughs. By this time, Lucius had already gathered the necessary potions and was waiting impatiently for Draco to finish. Draco just looked at him and asked, "What's with all the potions?"

"Severus liberated a couple of prisoners from the Malfoy dungeons. He took them to Grimmauld Place so that he and Harry could heal their injuries," said Lucius calmly. "Now I just need to get the rest of these potions to Severus. Do you need anything before I leave?"

Draco shook his head. "No, I'm fine now."

Lucius nodded and swept from the room. He flooed back to Grimmauld Place and saw the Lovegood chit sitting in the living room. She gave him an airy smile and said, "Professor Snape is in the kitchen with Harry. You both are very lucky to have him as your mate, you know. Your children will change the world someday."

Lucius was disconcerted by the knowledge shining in the young girl's eyes. It was as if she saw things no one else could see. Then the comment about children hit him, and a small smile crossed his lips. He could just picture a little girl with pale blonde hair and bright green eyes, or a little boy with messy black hair and silver eyes.

With a curt nod to Luna, Lucius sauntered into the kitchen. He saw Harry curled in Severus' lap, sleeping peacefully, and quietly sat down at the table. Severus looked up at the blonde and raised an eyebrow. "What has you in such a good mood?"

"Has that Lovegood girl ever shown a proclivity in being a Seer or anything?" asked Lucius nervously.

"I really wouldn't know, Lucius. I've never given her much thought. I do know that her classmates call her Loony Lovegood, though," said Severus reasonably. "Why?"

Lucius frowned slightly. "It was just something she said. She said that our children would change the world someday."

Severus jerked slightly at that comment, and he suddenly knew exactly what Luna had said to Harry earlier. He quickly grabbed his wand and aimed it Harry's stomach, casting a pregnancy detection spell. Harry's stomach immediately began to glow a soft green, indicating that he was indeed pregnant.

"Oh Merlin," whispered Severus in shock. "He's pregnant, Lucius." His shock quickly gave way to anger, though, as he recalled what Harry said when he'd asked what Luna had told him. "And he wasn't going to tell us."

"What?" asked Lucius, scowling at Harry's slumbering form. "Why would he hide it from us?"

"Oh, isn't it obvious, you two?" said Luna from the doorway, a mischievous smile on her face. "He has a an evil wizard to fight, and a war to end. He knew that you would try to stop him if you knew about the baby."

"Well, of course we would," snapped Lucius.

"You can't protect him from this," said Luna pragmatically. "The war will find him whether you like it or not, and he will be required to participate if you want any chance at all for peace. And the fact that he is with child is actually a good thing."

"And how did you come to that conclusion?" sneered Severus quietly, keeping his voice low to keep from waking the teen in his arms. "While he's pregnant, he has to share his magic with the child to aid in the baby's development, making him exponentially weaker."

"And that is where you are wrong," said Luna smugly. "Harry is actually stronger now that he's pregnant because of the fact that he and the child share magic."

"That makes absolutely no sense," said Lucius. "How could giving half his magic to the baby make him stronger?"

Luna smiled serenely and pulled out her wand. "Watch." Before anyone could stop her, she shot a stinging hex toward the sleeping brunette. However, before the spell could hit, a shimmering golden shield appeared before Harry, absorbing the spell before disappearing.

Lucius jumped to his feet with an angry snarl, startling Harry out of his sleep. He sat up in Severus' lap and rubbed his eyes sleepily. He saw Lucius glaring at a serene Luna and looked to Severus for answers. "What's going on?"

Severus stared sternly down at Harry. "We know what Luna told you. And don't even bother trying to deny it because I already verified it."

Harry jerked in surprise and placed a gentle hand on his stomach. "I'm really pregnant? I figured that's what she meant, but I wasn't entirely sure. I was planning to have Hermione check when I got back home."

That didn't make Severus happy at all. "You were going to tell Granger about the baby and keep it from me and Lucius. Did we not deserve to know about our impending fatherhood?"

Harry looked away from Severus. Luna, on the other hand, snorted at the vampire's accusation. "Oh, pish. You already know why he didn't tell you. Trying to make him feel guilty won't do any good."

"If the Dark Lord discovers your pregnancy, he will come after you with everything he has," said Lucius worriedly.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to defeat him before it comes to that," said Harry pragmatically. "All but one of the horcruxes have been destroyed, and Nagini is always with Voldemort." Harry froze almost as soon as the name was out of his mouth before jumping to his feet in a panic. "Damn it! We have to get out of here. This house is no longer under the Fidelius Charm. Severus, you get Ollivander and meet us back at the safe house." He pushed Luna toward the living room. "Lucius, the address."

"No, Harry," said Luna gently. "I need to return to my father."

"Luna, it's too dangerous to go there. Your father's probably being watched. As soon as you return, you'll end up right back where you were," said Harry urgently.

Several cracks of apparition outside the front door took the decision away from them. Lucius shoved a piece of paper in Luna's hand and turned to face the door. Luna read the address and hurriedly tossed the floo powder into the flames and flooed to the safe house. Lucius and Harry had no choice but to transform into their drake forms and hide in the shadows. They were just in time, too, because as soon as they took flight, the front door burst open, and four Death Eaters ran into the house.

"Spread out. They've got to be around somewhere," growled a voice Harry would never forget. Fenrir Greyback.

As he watched two Death Eaters head upstairs and one head toward the kitchen, it took every fibre of his being to restrain the urge to fly down and maul that murderous werewolf to death. It was the least Greyback deserved for the pain he'd caused so many others. He was a true monster, terrorising others for his own entertainment and preying on helpless children.

Greyback growled softly and stalked to the foot of the stairs. "You found them yet?"

"We must have just missed them. There are healing potions up here, and there's a bowl of soup that's still warm," yelled one of the Death Eaters from upstairs.

Greyback snarled and punched a hole in the wall. "Fuck! They must have flooed away when they heard us coming. The Dark Lord is not going to like this." He growled irritably. "Let's go. There's nothing here."

The werewolf and the three Death Eaters left the house and apparated away. Lucius flew to the ground and transformed, checking to make sure the danger was over. When he was assured that the Death Eaters were truly gone, he beckoned for Harry to transform, as well.

Harry flew down beside Lucius and transformed only to fall to his knees with a pained cry as a sharp pain shot through his stomach. "My sto.. mach. It.. hurts." He could barely get the words passed his clenched jaw as he tried to keep from screaming.

Lucius paled and quickly lifted Harry into his arms. He dearly hoped Severus was back at the safe house. He rushed to the fireplace and clumsily tossed some floo powder into the flames. Holding Harry carefully, he flooed back to the safe house, screaming for Severus as soon as he stepped out of the fireplace.

"He's not here," said Draco, gasping when he saw Harry in Lucius' arms. "What happened?"

"I think he's losing the baby," said Lucius, a note of panic edging into his voice.

Draco gaped at the pair. "He's pregnant?" Harry whimpered in pain, and Draco panicked. "Oh, Merlin. Where's Severus? He would know what to do."

"Lucius, take him to his room," said Luna calmly. Lucius nodded and carried Harry to his room, setting the teen gently on the bed. Luna followed him into the room and said, "Place your hands on his stomach and push a little bit of magic into him."

Lucius did as Luna asked, settling his hands gently on Harry's belly, and watched as his hands began to glow with an icy blue light. The blue light sank into Harry's stomach, and almost immediately, Harry's pained visage relaxed. Within minutes, Harry was completely relaxed and sleeping peacefully.

"That's enough, Lucius," said Luna firmly. "The baby will be fine now."

Lucius slowly pulled his hands away and fell to his knees beside the bed. "Merlin, I could have lost them. If you hadn't known what to do, I really could have lost them both."

Draco hovered in the doorway, watching helplessly. "What caused it?"

"He was forced to transform into a drake to stay hidden from the Death Eaters that showed up," said Lucius softly. "Greyback was leading them."

Draco flinched at the name. He knew exactly what that monster was capable of. The night Dumbledore died still gave him nightmares. "So where was Severus while this was happening? I thought you said he was at Grimmauld Place, as well. How did the Death Eaters even know where to find Grimmauld Place?"

Lucius sighed softly and gently stroked Harry's hair. "Harry was upset and accidentally activated the taboo on the Dark Lord's name. We had just enough time for Luna to floo here and Severus to grab Ollivander. Harry and I didn't have time to use the floo, so we were forced to use our mini-drake forms to avoid detection. I thought Severus would be here by now, though."

Just Lucius said that, Severus stepped out of the shadows with an aggravated scowl. "I left Ollivander with the St. Mungoes' staff, though I doubt he'll fare any better there with all the dunderheads around.." He paused briefly when he saw everyone gathered around the bed, a wave of apprehension settling in his gut. "What happened after I left?"

Lucius got to his feet and scowled at Severus. "Harry almost lost the baby. What the hell took you so long?"

Severus ignored Lucius and settled on the bed beside Harry. He quickly cast a diagnostic spell and sighed in relief when everything came back normal. "He seems to be fine now. What exactly happened?"

"He used his animagus form, Professor Snape," said Luna serenely. "Lucius brought him back and stabilised the baby with his drake magic."

Severus nodded thoughtfully. "That makes sense. With Lucius' drake blood fully active, it was practically a guarantee that any future children would also be drakes." He sighed and rubbed his forehead. "That could be problematic. Infant drakes are highly resistant to wizarding magic."

"What do you mean?" asked Draco curiously.

"As you know, drakes in general are immune to most dark magic, right?" Draco nodded. "Well, infant drakes have the added protection of being immune to all wizarding magic. It only lasts for the first year..." Severus' voice trailed off abruptly, and he looked at Luna in astonishment. "You knew! Because the baby is a drake, any magic directed at Harry other than drake magic will be rejected."

"If the baby's immune to wizarding magic, then how did Harry almost lose the baby?" asked Draco with a frustrated sigh.

"Because Harry is the one who cast the spell. When in his animagus form, Harry is just as much a drake as Lucius and can use drake magic. Had he stayed in his drake form, the baby would have been just fine because the magic of Harry's animagus form instantly stabilised the baby. However, when he changed back, the baby no longer had access to the magic needed to keep it stable, so Lucius had to supply the magic," Luna calmly explained.

"I wonder what kind of drake the baby will be," said Draco softly. "You think it'll be a Frost Drake like father, or an Earth Drake like Harry, Severus?"

Severus just shrugged. For all he knew, the baby could be a Fire Drake or Wind Drake. They wouldn't really know until the first transformation.

Luna, however, smiled knowingly. She knew exactly what kind of drake that little tyke would be, and she couldn't wait.


	20. Chapter 20

Chapter 20

Draco dropped into the armchair with a weary sigh. There was never a dull moment where Harry was concerned. He couldn't believe he was already going to be a big brother. He wasn't ready for that, yet. But judging from that upstairs, his father couldn't be happier. Draco wasn't sure how to feel about that, either. With a new child to love, where would that leave him?

"This child won't replace you, Draco," said Luna serenely. "There's no need for you to worry about that. You are the Malfoy heir, and that will not change. Nor will the fact that your father loves you."

Draco scowled at the other blonde. "Who says I'm worried about something stupid like that?" He determinedly pushed away the doubts that said otherwise.

Luna smiled knowingly. "My mistake, then," she said airily. " I'm quite happy for Harry. He's always wanted a family of his own. Of course, who could blame him really after being deprived of just that for the majority of his life?"

"I just can't believe Potter's already pregnant," muttered Draco, still trying to wrap his mind around that fact. It just didn't seem real to him yet.

"What?!" shouted two voices in shock.

Draco jerked in surprise and shot to his feet. Spying Hermione and Ron at a small table in the corner of the library, Draco scowled at them suspiciously. "When did you two get in here?"

Hermione raised an eyebrow at the blonde. "We've been here, Malfoy. You just weren't paying attention." She crossed her arms and tapped her foot. "Now what is this about Harry being pregnant?"

"What is there to explain?" asked Draco snidely. "Potter is pregnant. I just found out about it a little while ago."

Hermione suddenly squealed excitedly and grabbed Luna's hands, jumping up and down with the blonde girl. "I'm going to be an auntie!" She finally let go of Luna and threw herself in Ron's arms. "And you're going to be an uncle, Ron. I'm so excited." She eagerly turned back to Draco and demanded, "Where is he?"

Draco looked at Hermione nervously. He didn't want to be the one to tell her. To his eternal relief, Luna stepped forward and spoke up. "He's sleeping right now. He almost lost the baby today."

"What happened?" asked Hermione worriedly. "Is he okay now?"

"He's fine now," said Luna soothingly. "Lucius' magic managed to stabilise the baby before any real damage was done."

"Is that significant? The fact that Lucius' magic stabilised the baby?" asked Hermione curiously.

Draco huffed irritably. "Apparently the baby's a drake, and infant drakes are immune to almost all wizarding magic. Since he is also a drake, Father was the only one who could stabilise the baby."

Ron snickered suddenly. "Aw, Draco's jealous."

Draco glared at the redhead. "What are you talking about? I'm not jealous!"

"Yes, you are. Your father's a drake, and your sibling's a drake. Hell, even Harry's practically a drake. You, however, are just a wizard, and you feel left out because of it," said Ron wisely.

"Shut up, Weasley. You don't know what you're talking about," snapped Draco. That may have been true at first, but it wasn't anymore.

"Have you ever considered asking Professor Snape to make you some of that Inheritance potion?" asked Hermione softly.

"Yeah, for all of two seconds," said Draco derisively. "But then I realised that I want to have a choice in who I spend the rest of my life with. As a drake, that choice would be taken away from me.."

Hermione smiled brightly at Draco. "I never would have guessed you were such a romantic at heart, Draco. It's rather cute, actually."

"Shut up, Granger," said Draco, a light blush darkening his cheeks. "It's not romantic at all. I just realised that there's no guarantee I'd ever find my mate, and then I'd be stuck in drake form until the day I died."

"Oh, I never really thought of it like that," mused Hermione. "Now that you mention it, though, it's really a miracle that Lucius found his mate so quickly." She tapped her chin thoughtfully. "I wonder if that was Harry's influence. He's always had the most amazing luck."

"Yeah, tell me about it," muttered Draco peevishly. He'd been on the unfortunate end of Potter's luck too many times to count.

Luna smiled knowingly at Draco while Ron snickered unabashedly. "Always one step in front of you, wasn't he, Malfoy?"

"Shut up, Weasley. You can't say the same, though, can you? It's more like ten steps ahead in your case," sneered Draco.

Ron scowled and clenched his fists, but before he could say anything, Luna spoke up. "Harry should be waking any moment now if you would like to visit."

Hermione took the hint and grabbed Ron's arm. "Come on, Ron. Let's go see how Harry's doing."

"Fine," said Ron grudgingly. He glared once more at Draco. "This isn't over, though."

"Yeah, whatever," said Draco dismissively. It wasn't much of a threat, considering the fact that Granger had him on such a short leash. As the door closed behind the pair of Gryffindors, Draco sighed in relief. "They're finally gone. I can't go anywhere in this house without running into at least one Gryffindor these days."

"You'll get used to it, Draco. After all, they're practically family now," said Luna calmly.

Draco just groaned in response. He was still trying to get used to his father's relationship with Harry. It was simply too much to ask for him to include Granger and Weasley at this point in time. They were lucky he tolerated them as well as he did.

HPHP

Severus stared down at his sleeping mate, gently stroking the teen's dark hair. The mere thought of what could have happened if Lucius had not been with Harry made his heart clench. That line of thought, however, also lead to thoughts about the child Harry carried. Intellectually, Severus knew that the prospect of siring a child with Harry were rather low because it was extremely difficult for a vampire to reproduce naturally, but he couldn't help the longing he felt when he thought about a child with a mixture of his and Harry's features.

Severus' hand strayed to Harry's stomach, stroking the smooth flesh with gentle fingers. He could hardly believe that this very skin would stretch and grow to accommodate the growth of their child. He leaned down and pressed a light kiss to Harry's belly, feeling a surge of love well up inside him. He realised that it didn't matter who sired the child. The child would be loved equally by all three of them.

Harry suddenly jerked in Severus' arms, eyes slowly opening. He saw Severus and smiled softly. "You'll make a wonderful father, Severus. You already love this baby so much."

"Do you feel the baby's emotions, yet?" asked Severus curiously, uncomfortable with emotions on display like that.

"Not that I'm aware," said Harry, rubbing his still flat belly lightly. "I'm not even sure how far along I am. It's still a bit surreal to me."

"I can see if diagnostic spell will work, but I doubt it will. I'm still surprised the pregnancy detection spell worked on you. Infant drakes are immune to almost all of wizarding magic," said Severus ruefully.

"Is that why Luna had Lucius use his magic to help the baby?" asked Harry, shuddering slightly at the remembered pain. "The baby's a drake?"

"Apparently so," said Severus. He raised his wand and cast a diagnostic spell, but it bounced off of the same golden shield that had deflected Luna's spell. "It won't work. Lucius should be able to cast it when he gets back, though."

"Where did he go?" asked Harry.

"He's out there dealing with your nosy friends," said Severus, sneering at the bedroom door.

"He may as well just let them in. They won't leave until they're absolutely sure I'm all right," said Harry ruefully.

As soon as the words left Harry's mouth, the bedroom door opened, and a disgruntled Lucius lead Ron and Hermione into the room. Harry smirked smugly at Severus. He knew his friends all too well.

"Harry, thank goodness you're all right," said Hermione, rushing across the room to hug the brunette teen tightly. She leaned back and looked Harry over intently. "Oh, I can't believe I'm going to be an auntie." At Harry's continued silence, she glared at the other teen. "I am going to be an auntie, aren't I?"

Harry burst into laughter. "Of course, Hermione. I enjoy life too much to deprive you of that."

Hermione nodded in satisfaction, but she couldn't remain serious for long. She started laughing with Harry while Ron looked at them both like they were crazy. "They've gone batty," he muttered, causing Harry and Hermione to laugh even harder.

"All right, you two. Now that you've seen that Harry is perfectly fine, it's time for you to leave. Harry still needs to rest a bit more," said Lucius impatiently.

Hermione hugged Harry once more and headed toward the door, grinning impishly at Lucius as she passed. "Just admit it, Lucius. You just want him all to yourself."

Ron looked scandalised. "Hermione! Don't say such things! Remember the no details rule, for Merlin's sake."

Lucius slammed the door behind them and locked it for good measure. "I don't know how you stand dealing with them on a daily basis, Harry."

"Years of practice," said Harry dryly. "Now come over hear and cast a diagnostic spell to see how far along I am. Severus' spell didn't work."

Lucius smiled slightly and did as Harry asked. "You are eight weeks pregnant, Harry. Since the child is a drake, though, the pregnancy will only last twenty-eight weeks."

"How much do you know of drake pregnancies, Lucius?" asked Harry curiously.

"Not a lot, I'm afraid," said Lucius regretfully. "The last drake we had in the family was my great-great-grandfather. It's been dormant in every Malfoy since then. Until Severus created that potion, that is."

Harry smiled ruefully. "I guess that means more research for me then. I can't wait until I can feel the baby."

"He'll be kicking before you know it, and then you'll be ready for him to be born," said Lucius teasingly.

"He means the baby's emotions, Lucius," said Severus, rubbing Harry's stomach once more. "He can't sense them yet."

"Don't worry, Harry. You'll feel him soon," said Lucius reassuringly.

Harry smiled at Lucius and settled down between his two mates, falling asleep to their hands caressing his stomach with unabashed adoration.

HPHP

Harry munched contentedly on his sandwich as he read in his room. It was the first time he'd been completely alone since learning of his pregnancy. Four weeks of constant supervision was about as much as he could handle. Thankfully, Severus was in his lab, making nausea potions and nutrient potions, and Lucius was in his study, talking with Draco. The last time he'd seen Ron and Hermione, they were in the library, and he had no idea where Luna was.

Taking the last bite of his sandwich, Harry set his book aside and climbed onto the bed. He tired more quickly these days, often needing a nap after lunch. As was his recent habit, Harry lay on his side and rubbed his stomach while humming softly. He didn't know if the baby could hear him yet, but it made Harry feel better to think it could.

A sharp burst of happiness and contentment swelled through Harry, taking his breath away at the intensity of the emotion. He giggled helplessly in response to the overwhelming joy he felt rushing through him. It seemed the baby liked their daily nap routine as much as he did. The bright joy eventually mellowed out to a hum of contentment, leaving Harry with a soft smile on his face.

The bedroom door opened, and Severus walked into the room, smelling strongly of potions fumes. He looked at the smile on Harry's face and raised his eyebrows in question. Harry's smile widened into a grin, and he sat up with an excited bounce.

"I felt the baby! He's so happy. It took my breath away."

Severus immediately went to Harry and gently pushed him back down. Raising the teen's shirt, he pressed his lips to the slight swell of Harry's stomach. Almost immediately, Harry started giggling again as the baby's happiness rushed through him. He couldn't help it. The baby's joy was infectious.

Severus turned his head so that his ear was pressed against Harry's belly and gasped softly when he heard the rapid whooshing sound that signified their baby's heartbeat. "I can hear his heartbeat."

Harry smiled softly at the awe in Severus' voice. It still surprised him sometimes to see this gentle and loving side to his mate. "You should sing to him, Severus. He likes to hear me hum to him."

Severus smiled ruefully. "I don't sing all that well, unfortunately. That can be Lucius' task."

"Lucius can sing?" asked Harry in surprise.

"Quite well, in fact. He can also play the piano and violin," said Severus.

Harry sighed wistfully. "It would be wonderful to hear him play. It's too bad we don't have either of those here."

Severus kissed Harry's belly once more and stood up. "I really need to take a shower before dinner. You should finish your nap."

"You sure you don't want company instead?" asked Harry impishly.

Severus smirked at the teen. "We'd better not. We'd probably miss dinner entirely, and that's something you can't afford to miss these days."

Harry sighed dramatically. "Well, if you insist. It could have been fun, though."

"Oh, I'm sure it would be," muttered Severus softly. "Behave, brat, and get some rest. You need it."

"Yes, sir," said Harry smartly, snapping his eyes closed.

Severus watched as Harry relaxed into sleep and continued on into the bathroom. He started the water but didn't immediately undress. Instead, he stepped into the shadows and teleported to the music room at Malfoy Manor. Although the room had probably gone unnoticed by the manor's current inhabitants, he would have to be quick to avoid detection. It wouldn't do for the Dark Lord to discover that he was still alive, after all.

Quickly shrinking the piano and Lucius' violin, Severus tucked them in his pocket and teleported back to the safe house. Taking the shrunken instruments out of his pocket, he stared at them for a long moment. The brat was turning him into a bloody Gryffindor. Why else would he have done something so reckless?

Even as he asked himself that question, Severus knew exactly why he had done it. It was worth the risk just to see the happiness on Harry's face when he heard Lucius play them for him. And when had he become such a sap to care about such things? That's right. When Harry had somehow wormed his way into Severus' heart and refused to leave. He still didn't know how the brat had done it.

Severus set the tiny instruments aside and got in the shower, washing quickly. Finishing his shower, he turned off the water and wrapped a towel around his waist, going back into the bedroom to get dressed. Harry was still asleep when he was done, so Severus went back into the bathroom and put the shrunken instruments back into his pocket. He would surprise Harry after supper.

Shaking Harry awake, Severus watched in amusement as the teen grumbled unintelligibly and rolled over without waking. "Harry, wake up. It's time for supper. Aren't you hungry?"

Harry groaned softly and groggily opened his eyes. "Do I have to, Sev? I'm still tired."

Severus gave the teen a stern look. "Yes, Harry, you do. You're eating for two now, so you can't afford to miss any meals. Besides, you're too skinny as it is." Seeing the stubborn expression on Harry's face, Severus sighed regretfully. "And to think that I had something special planned for you after supper. Oh well."

Harry reluctantly got out of bed and looked at Severus expectantly. "What is it? What did you plan for me?"

"It's a surprise," said Severus smoothly, guiding Harry out of the bedroom. "You will just have to wait."

Harry pouted slightly at the response, but he had to admit he was intrigued. He couldn't wait to see what Severus had in store for him.


	21. Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Harry followed Severus to the dining room, brimming with curiosity. He wondered what the surprise Severus had planned for him was, but his stoic mate refused to give him so much as a hint. What could it possibly be? Damn it, he wanted to know what it was now! Harry saw the smug smirk on Severus' face and pouted petulantly. The bloody vampire just loved to keep his curiosity burning.

Harry's sulky ruminations were cut short as the sounds of laughter reached him. He looked up curiously and realised that they had finally reached the dining room. The first thing he noticed was Ron sitting at the table with juice dripping down his shocked face. Suppressing a laugh, Harry calmly handed the redhead a napkin and said, "Uh, Ron? You're supposed to drink your juice, not wear it."

Ron scowled at Harry before pointing an accusing finger at Draco. "That prat did this to me." Muttering ominously under his breath, Ron jerkily wiped the juice off his face. Once his face was dry, he grimaced at the lingering stickiness from the juice.

Draco sniffed haughtily and looked down his nose at the redhead. "I did no such thing, and you can't prove otherwise." And technically, he was telling the truth. Luna was the one who actually cast the spell to make Ron's juice spray into the teen's face.

Ron huffed irritably while Hermione rolled her eyes and cast a cleaning charm on the sulking redhead, getting the juice out of his hair and clothing. It didn't help with the stickiness, though. "Honestly, Ron, it was just a joke. There's no point in sulking about it."

Harry sat down next to Ron and picked up the glass Ron had knocked over. Lowering his Occlumency shields just a bit, he saw a vision of Luna sneakily casting the spell that hit the glass. Harry grinned at Ron as he set the glass back down. "Yeah, Ron. There's no point in sulking about it. Don't get mad, get even. Of course, you may want to prank the right person. Right, Luna?"

Luna smiled serenely and lifted her glass in acknowledgement. "That's a very handy gift you have, Harry."

Harry smiled and nodded. "I could say the same about you, Luna."

Ron spluttered in shock, looking at Luna as though he'd never seen her before. "Wait! Luna's the one who pranked me? But... but..."

Severus smirked at the redheaded teen and drawled, "Mr. Weasley, if you can't say anything articulate, kindly shut your mouth. You look ridiculous."

Ron's mouth snapped shut with an audible click of his teeth. Otherwise ignoring the vampire, he turned back toward Harry. "Hey, Harry, where have you been all day? You snuck off without a word this morning."

Harry smiled sheepishly. "I had lunch in my room and took a short nap." His smile brightened as he thought of the news he wanted to share. "I felt the baby today."

Hermione squealed happily. "It kicked?"

Harry shook his head. "No, I felt his emotions. I was humming to him, and all of a sudden, I felt this wave of happiness rush through me. It was amazing. Oh, and Severus could hear his little heartbeat."

"That's great, Harry," sighed Hermione softly. She truly envied Harry for his gift at that moment. It would be amazing to have that kind of connection to a child while it was still in the womb.

The conversation was cut short when Lucius walked into the room with a weary scowl on his face. He'd just received unsettling news from Toffee, and he wasn't quite sure what to do about it. How was he supposed to tell his little mate that Lupin had been captured and was in very bad shape? There was no hope for it, though. He would tell Harry after dinner.

Lucius sighed and snapped his fingers, signalling for the house-elves to bring out supper. The table was suddenly brimming with food, and everyone began filling their plates. Well, everyone but Harry, that is. Harry stared at the table in dismay as he rubbed his stomach gently, trying to ease his sudden nausea. It didn't help, though. All he could smell was the fish and chips Ron was busy stuffing into his mouth, and it was making his stomach churn unpleasantly.

Unfortunately, Harry lost the battle with his rising nausea when Ron turned toward him and mumbled something around the mass of food in his mouth. Harry bolted from the table and rushed out of the room, desperately trying to reach the bathroom before he lost the contents of his stomach. Almost staggering into the bathroom, he fell to his knees in front of the toilet and retched miserably. He only vaguely heard someone enter the bathroom and felt a cool, soothing hand begin to rub his back gently.

His nausea finally easing, Harry collapsed against Lucius' chest, for that was who held him. Lucius always smelled cool and crisp like a snowy, wintery day. The blonde handed him a glass of water, and Harry gulped it down greedily. The cool liquid soothed his parched throat and eased his clenching stomach, and he relaxed with a relieved sigh.

"Thanks, Lucius. I feel much better now."

"You're welcome. I was a bit nauseated by that display myself. That boy has no manners whatsoever," said Lucius dryly. "Do you think you could eat something now? I'm sure Miss Granger can convince Mr. Weasley the merits of chewing with his mouth closed from now on."

Harry shuddered slightly at the mere thought of stepping foot back in that dining room. "I don't think that would be a good idea. I feel sick even thinking about the smell of fish. Ron just made it worse."

Lucius stood up and helped Harry to his feet. "I could always have a house-elf bring you some soup or a sandwich to our bedroom if you would prefer."

"Yeah, that would be all right," said Harry gratefully. A bowl of soup and a sandwich actually sounded great. "Will you ask them to bring some chicken soup and a ham sandwich?"

"I'll even join you," said Lucius as he walked with Harry back to their room.

As Harry settled comfortably on the bed, Lucius called for a house-elf. Harry politely requested what he wanted for supper before Lucius could open his mouth, smirking at the blonde when the house-elf smiled brightly and agreed eagerly. Lucius shook his head in exasperation. Before long, every house-elf he owned would be wrapped around Harry's little finger.

A few moments later, the house-elf popped back into the room with a food-laden tray. The house-elf set the tray on the bedside table and popped out of the room. Harry grabbed his bowl of soup and took a hesitant bite, smiling in relief when his stomach didn't immediately reject the food. He greedily took another bite, and before long, both the soup and sandwich were happily consumed.

Sitting back with a satisfied sigh, Harry looked up and saw Lucius frowning pensively. "Is something wrong, Lucius? You haven't touched your food."

Lucius sighed and looked at Harry. "The Dark Lord has captured your werewolf friend, Remus Lupin."

"Can Severus free him like he did Luna and Ollivander?" asked Harry worriedly.

"Not this time. The Dark Lord is keeping him under constant surveillance. He's trying to draw you out," said Lucius seriously.

"Well, maybe we should oblige him," said Harry softly.

"Excuse me?" hissed Lucius angrily. "You are not seriously suggesting that we face him right now. Harry, you're pregnant!"

"And that's exactly why we should do this now. You remember what Luna and Severus said. Infant drakes are immune to wizarding magic, especially dark magic. Unless he has another drake in his army, I'll be perfectly fine," said Harry reasonably.

"You're protected from magical attacks, Harry. You're still vulnerable to physical attacks," snapped Lucius.

"But we're so close to ending this, Lucius. Nagini is the only horcrux left. We need to destroy her before we can focus our attention on him."

Lucius scowled at Harry. "Yeah, and that bloody snake hardly ever leaves the Dark Lord's side. It's too dangerous."

"We have to do this, Lucius. If I don't face him, he'll kill Remus and who knows how many others. Severus has the best chance of getting to Nagini undetected. All we need to do is distract Voldie long enough for Severus to off the bloody snake. Then you could transform into your drake form and freeze the bastard. Once snake-face is completely frozen, a well-aimed Reducto should finish the job," said Harry.

Lucius looked at Harry in astonishment. That was actually a well thought out plan. Where in Merlin's name had his reckless Gryffindor gone? Harry's plan even made Severus and Lucius the key players in the battle instead of putting himself on the front line.

As Lucius silently mulled over Harry's idea, searching for any potential problems and pitfalls, Severus walked into the room. Seeing the expectant look on Harry's face and the pensive look on Lucius', Severus felt a knot of dread settling in his stomach. Obviously, something had happened with the Dark Lord. "What has happened now?"

"Snake-face has Remus," said Harry promptly. "We're just going over the plan to get him back."

"No," said Severus coldly, glaring at the teen. "The mutt can rot for all I care. You are not rushing in blindly to save him. It's too dangerous, and you're pregnant."

Lucius winced at Severus' choice of words and ducked for cover. That was just the wrong thing to say to their emotional mate. He got out of the way just in time, too. Harry hurled his empty supper tray at the vampire with a hiss of fury, scowling when Severus dodged his impromptu missile.

"You may be my mate, Severus Snape, but that does not mean you control me," snarled Harry.

"I have a say when you're putting our child at risk," snapped Severus angrily.

"If you had bothered to listen to what I had to say, you would know that I hadn't planned any such thing. However, you seem to think you know all and couldn't be bothered to think otherwise," said Harry snidely. A sudden rush of sadness swept through him, bringing tears to his eyes as the baby's emotions affected his own. Harry rubbed his stomach gently, trying to ease the baby's distress.

"What's wrong?" asked Severus sharply, wincing inwardly at tears in Harry's eyes.

Lucius sat down on the bed beside Harry and placed his hand on the teen's stomach. "Is your stomach hurting? Is something wrong with the baby?"

Harry shook his head, smiling as the sadness turned into bright happiness at his father's voice. "Our argument upset him, I think. He's happy now, though."

"You can feel his emotions?" asked Lucius in awe.

Harry nodded and covered Lucius' hand with his own, channelling the baby's emotions into Lucius. Lucius gasped at the influx of happiness suffusing his entire body. That was the baby? This feeling was incredible. It was such a pure and innocent joy.

"Severus heard the baby's heartbeat, too," said Harry, gently removing his hands and stopping the flood of emotions. He turned back toward the vampire. "Now do you want to hear what we have planned or not?"

"Fine. Let's hear it," said Severus reluctantly.

Lucius obligingly told Severus the plan. Severus had to admit that he was mildly impressed with what he heard. Harry needn't be involved at all. The plan depended on Severus and Lucius for success and kept their pregnant mate off the front line.

"That plan will suffice," said Severus grudgingly.

"Great! So the question now is where to do this. I figure the easiest thing to do would find a place and break the taboo," said Harry quickly.

"Absolutely not!" snapped Severus.

"He's right, Harry. If you'll remember, it was Greyback who showed up when you broke the taboo at Grimmauld Place. The Dark Lord will only appear if he knows for sure that you are there," said Lucius reasonably.

"I can go to Hogwarts," said Harry tentatively. "That would draw out Voldie for sure. And as long as Lucius stays nearby in his mini-drake form, I should be perfectly fine. I'm sure Lucius can manage to keep the Death Eaters from getting close enough to attack physically. I'll even stick close to the shadows so you can grab me out of harm's way if necessary."

Severus and Lucius shared a long look. As much as it pained them to admit it, Harry's plan was sound. It was the only way to guarantee the Dark Lord's personal appearance, and as long as Harry kept his promise to stay out of the thick of things, the plan should proceed smoothly. Unfortunately, with Harry involved, things rarely went smoothly. At this point, they could only hope for the best and protect their precious mate with every fibre of their being.

"I highly doubt that the Dark Lord plans to kill Lupin immediately, so we will commence with the plan on the morrow. Midday would be best, around lunchtime. More students will be milling about to catch sight of you," said Severus calmly. He levelled a glare at Harry. "You do not stray from Lucius' side and stay close to the shadows."

"I promise," said Harry solemnly. Now that they had a sure plan to defeat Voldemort, Harry felt as though a great weight had lifted from his chest. Trying to lighten the mood, Harry grinned at his two mates. "So, Severus, where's my surprise?"

Severus shook his head and pulled the tiny instruments from his pocket, placing them in Harry's hands. "Right here, brat." The teen looked down at the minuscule instruments blankly, silently asking himself what he was supposed to do with a toy violin and piano. Severus sighed at the teen's obtuseness and picked up the little violin. He enlarged it and handed it to Lucius. "Now Lucius can play for you and the baby."

Harry grinned sheepishly. As much as he embraced wizarding life, he still sometimes forgot what magic could do.

Lucius stared down at his violin in shock. It was definitely his violin, but he was absolutely positive he'd left at the manor. "I can't believe you actually went to Malfoy Manor to get this, Severus. In case you've forgotten, the Dark Lord has taken up residence there."

Severus smirked smugly. "Apparently, the rest of our former comrades aren't as musically inclined as you are. The room was still locked and collecting dust. Besides, I couldn't deprive our mate and our baby of your musical skills once Harry told me how happy the baby felt when he hummed to him this afternoon."

"He's turning us both into sentimental Gryffindors," muttered Lucius in exasperation.

Harry just smirked at Lucius before smiling sweetly. "Will you play for me, Lucius? The baby loves it when I hum to him."

Lucius lifted the violin to his chin and started to play. Harry listened to the beautiful music, eyes closed in contentment. An answering hum of contentment from the baby swelled through him, and he knew that no matter what happened tomorrow, it was moments like that he treasured the most.


	22. Chapter 22

Chapter 22

"I don't think I've ever seen Harry turn that particular colour," said Ron, trying to break the stilted silence that had descended upon everyone with Harry's abrupt departure from the table.

"Idiot," muttered Lucius as he sneered at the redhead and left the table to follow Harry.

Hermione scowled at her tactless boyfriend and smacked him on the arm. "You should be more considerate, Ron. Harry's suffering from morning sickness now."

"Of course, your loathsome table manners probably didn't help matters any," said Draco snidely. "Watching you eat turned my stomach, as well. Don't you know you're supposed to actually chew your food before you force it down your gullet? And chewing with your mouth closed would also be beneficial to anyone misfortunate enough to have to eat at the same table."

"Indeed," said Severus softly. He stood up and left the table without another word. He had no doubt that Lucius and Harry would finish their meal in the bedroom.

Hermione sighed and pushed her plate away. The lively atmosphere from earlier was completely gone, and she had lost her appetite. "I'm not all that hungry, anyway. I'll be in the library if you need me for anything."

As Hermione stalked out of the room, Ron hurriedly shovelled the rest of the food on his plate into his mouth and chased after her. He didn't want to spend any more time with Malfoy than he absolutely had to. He may tolerate the git for Harry's sake, but that did not mean he had to like it.

"Ah, blessed peace. I can finally enjoy my meal in comfort," said Draco smugly.

Luna looked at him with faraway eyes. "Enjoy it while you can for peace will soon be shattered on the morrow. The Frost and Darkness will face the Snake Lord to protect the Lightning Bearer. However, they will need the arrow-tailed dragon to succeed for he is Master of the Death Stick. The Ending is near, but new Life shall be breathed unto the deserving." Luna smiled dreamily and hummed softly under her breath.

Draco stared at her in shock. That sounded suspiciously like a prophecy, cryptic as it was. Frost was most likely his father since he was a Frost Drake, and Severus was probably Darkness since he was the darkest of dark creatures. The Snake Lord was obviously the Dark Lord. The Lightning Bearer, though, gave him pause. Harry was an Earth Drake animagus. Draco gasped in realisation. The child was a Lightning Drake, and therefore, Harry was the Lightning Bearer. And, of course, Draco was the arrow-tailed dragon since he was a wyvern animagus. What was the Death Stick, though, and how had he become its master?

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Draco rubbed his aching temples. "You're a bloody Seer, aren't you? No wonder Potter keeps you around. You're his early warning system against the Dark Lord."

"I am Harry's friend," said Luna with uncharacteristic coldness. "And unlike you, Harry doesn't choose his friends based on what they can do for him. Besides, I'm not a Seer. Seers have visions of the future, and I don't See anything. I do, however, have another gift. I have the ability to hear truths whispered in the wind."

Draco felt thoroughly chastened. He actually hadn't meant to say that to Luna. He'd just been overwhelmed by the idea that he would be a pivotal player in the battle against the Dark Lord. Besides, he knew good and well 'Saint Potter' would never befriend someone for such petty reasons.

"I apologise," said Draco softly. "Now I know how Harry felt when he learned that he was the one who had to defeat the Dark Lord. It's not an easy thing to accept."

"No, it isn't," Luna agreed. "So what will you decide?"

Draco huffed irritably. "What's to decide? If my being there will help them win this battle, then I'll be there. It's as simple as that."

Luna smiled proudly at Draco. "Your Wrackspurt infestation is finally gone. I was wondering if you would ever realise they were there and do something about them. Without them to cloud your judgement, making friends should be a lot easier." Draco stared at her in confusion, but Luna just stood waltzed out the door.

Draco shook his head in bemusement. "How does Potter understand a single word that comes out of that girl's mouth. What the hell are Wrackspurts, anyway?" Luna was an oddity he would never understand. Of course, given her ability, it was no wonder she was so damn spacey all the time. She was too busy listening to voices only she could hear to care about what was going on around her.

HPHP

Harry stumbled to the bathroom and fell to his knees in front of the toilet. Morning sickness had hit with a vengeance, and he didn't like it one bit. He wretched miserably until his stomach was completely empty.

Flushing the toilet and shakily standing, Harry washed his tear-stained face and brushed his teeth. He sighed and turned on the shower, allowing the water to warm before he climbed in. The hot water felt wonderful against his clammy skin, making the sickness from earlier a distant memory.

Harry hummed softly as washed the shampoo out of his hair. He picked up the soap and reached for the flannel only to touch bare skin instead. He opened his eyes and saw Severus standing in front of him with his hand outstretched, waiting for Harry to hand him the soap. Harry smile and placed the soap in the vampire's hand, watching the other man lather the flannel between long, slender hands.

"Turn around."

Harry shivered slightly as Severus' deep, dark voice rolled over him and quickly turned around. Severus gently washed Harry's back and shoulders before trailing the cloth slowly down the curves of Harry's arse. Harry gasped at the soft caress, but Severus was already moving on. Long arms reached around him, sweeping the flannel across his chest and underarms and coming to rest on his belly.

"How's the little one this morning? Any more sickness?"

"Bright and early this morning," said Harry ruefully. "I feel fine now, though."

Severus sighed softly and nuzzled his face in Harry's neck. "Are you sure you want to do this today? I could go alone to..."

"Don't you dare finish that sentence, Severus Snape," said Harry irritably. "It's not just about Remus, Sev. Tom Riddle needs to be stopped, and we're the only ones who can do it. No one is safe until he's gone."

"I just want you and the baby to be safe, Harry," murmured Severus.

"I know, love, but it will all be over soon," sighed Harry. His pleasant shower was quickly turning depressing, and that was not how he wanted to start the day. He could think of far more pleasant ways to pass the time. Grinning impishly, he turned his head and kissed Severus' cheek. "Severus, I'm naked and wet here. Do you really..." His voice trailed off into a garbled moan as Severus took the hint and wrapped a hand around the teen's hard cock.

Severus smirked at the sound and licked the shell of Harry's ear. "Is this what you want, Harry?" he purred, pumping the teen's shaft in his fist.

"I... always knew... you were... smart, Severus," gasped Harry, thrusting his hips helplessly with every stroke of Severus' hand.

Severus abruptly released Harry, ignoring the teen's disappointed moan. Gripping the teen's hips in a strong grip, Severus pressed his lips to the nape of Harry's neck, where the scales along his back started.

Harry hissed in dazed pleasure and arched his back, shuddering helplessly as Severus kissed and licked his way down the length of his spine. By the time the vampire was at the end of the trail of scales, Harry was on the verge of climax, every touch almost like a direct jolt to his cock.

"Severus, please," he moaned softly, reaching down for his straining shaft.

"No," growled Severus, grabbing Harry's hand and pinning it behind the teen's back. "You'll come from my touch alone."

Harry growled in frustration. "Dammit, Severus! Fuck me already!"

Severus smirked and gracefully got to his feet. He nipped Harry's earlobe and purred, "You want me to fuck you?"

"Yes!" Harry hissed demandingly.

"As you wish," said Severus. He quickly prepared his mate, and slid inside Harry's tight passage. Setting a merciless rhythm, Severus ploughed into him, making the teen scream in pleasure.

All too soon, Harry screamed his release, shuddering helplessly in Severus' arms. Feeling Harry's arse clench around him, Severus growled and bit into the teen's neck as he finally reached his own climax. Harry's blood was even sweeter now that he was pregnant, and Severus never wanted to let go. Unfortunately, though, he had to, and he reluctantly withdrew from Harry's body, catching the teen in his arms when Harry's knees buckled weakly.

"You broke me, Severus," murmured Harry ruefully. "My legs don't seem to work anymore."

Severus smirked down at Harry as he carried the teen into the bedroom. "That's a shame, Harry. I guess since your legs don't work, you'll have to stay here while Lucius and I take care of things at Hogwarts."

Harry smiled wryly. "You're Gryffindor side is showing, Sev. Stubborn until the very end."

Severus almost dropped Harry at that comment, and he scowled down at the grinning teen. "I should drop you for that insult."

"But you won't," said Harry teasingly. He gently rubbed his slightly rounded belly and arched an eyebrow at Severus. "Now will you?"

Severus unceremoniously dropped Harry onto the bed and turned away to get dressed. Harry just snickered and climbed off the bed to do the same.

HPHP

Draco's morning, on the other hand, wasn't nearly as pleasant as Harry's was. After a night of fitful sleep at best, he was up at dawn and searching the library for useful spells to use later that day. He needed to find a way to tag along with Harry without being caught. Of course, he could just tell Harry what Luna had told him. The brunet would probably be more than willing to help then.

Draco sighed and rubbed his burning eyes. He was so tired, but he knew he wouldn't sleep worth a damn until this battle was over. It was a daunting feeling to realise that his presence was a necessity if they wanted a chance at winning the war.

Two hours later, Draco found a spell that would be extremely useful: a Scent Removal spell. It was mainly used by Aurors to track vampires, werewolves, and other magical creatures. That spell would be essential if he wanted to remain undetected by his father or Severus. Even if he was completely hidden, they would be able to sniff him out otherwise.

Armed with this knew knowledge, Draco headed to breakfast. To his surprise, his father was the only at the table. "Where's Harry and Severus?"

"In the shower," said Lucius, sipping his tea.

Draco raised his eyebrows at that answer. "I'm surprised you're here then."

Lucius smiled wryly. "Severus needed the reassurance."

"I thought you both had worked things out," said Draco worriedly. "Is he upset that the baby isn't his?"

Lucius shook his head. "No, it's nothing like that. Severus is just as excited about the baby as I am. It's just..." He trailed off as Harry bounced cheerfully into the room.

"Good morning, everyone," chirped Harry, kissing Lucius briefly before sitting at the table. "I'm starving."

"I'll bet you are with that workout this morning," said Lucius, smiling at his mate.

Draco grimaced. "I don't want to hear it. Change the subject now."

"Why so cranky, Draco? Didn't you get enough sleep last night?" asked Harry, looking at Draco with real concern. The blond had dark circles under eyes and looked exhausted. "You didn't have anymore nightmares, did you?"

"No, Harry. I just had a lot on my mind. I'll be fine," Draco reassured his friend.

Harry nodded in understanding. He'd spent many a sleepless night due to heavy thoughts. "Do you want to talk about it?"

Well, that couldn't have given him a better chance, now could it. "Do you mind?" asked Draco with feigned nervousness.

Harry raised an eyebrow at the blond. For all that the other teen sounded nervous and hesitant, that certainly wasn't the way he was feeling. However, there was a sense of urgency there that was curious, so Harry decided to play along.

"Sure. We can talk after breakfast. Why don't we use Lucius' study?" He smiled sweetly at Lucius. "That is all right, isn't it?"

"It's fine, Harry. Don't take too long, though," cautioned Lucius, staring at Harry meaningfully. They needed to depart soon.

Harry nodded and went back to his breakfast. He ate quickly and excused himself from the table, heading directly toward the study. As soon as the brunet left, Draco pushed his plate away and followed after him.

Harry watched Draco lock and silence the room with raised eyebrows. This should be interesting. "So what did you need to talk about?"

"I'm going with you to Hogwarts, and I need you're help to do so," said Draco bluntly.

Harry stared at Draco in surprise. How did he find out? Of course, as soon as the question crossed his mind, so did the answer. "Luna told you."

Draco nodded his confirmation. "She said that I'm needed there because I'm the master of the Death Stick. Do you know what that is?"

"No, but if I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it was some kind of wand or staff," said Harry thoughtfully.

Draco suddenly gasped in realisation. He knew he'd heard that name before! "Bloody hell! She's talking about the Elder Wand. It's one of the three Deathly Hallows. But how did I become it's master?"

"I can't answer that, Draco," said Harry slowly. "But if Luna's right, you will definitely need to come with us. You have a plan to do so, yes?"

"I found a spell to mask my scent, so you just need to Disillusion me once I've turned into my animagus form, and I'll stow away underneath your cloak," said Draco calmly.

Harry sighed softly. "I hope you know just what you're getting into. I never would have involved you in this."

"I know," said Draco gently. "Sometimes, though, you just have to accept help when it's offered. It'll be all right." He smiled and rested a hand on Harry's belly. "You just concentrate on keeping my baby brother or sister safe."

"Brother," said Harry automatically.

"How do you know?" asked Draco curiously.

"It's just the way he feels to me," said Harry thoughtfully. "Besides, the baby's a drake. The only type of drake that produces females is Earth Drakes, so the chances of a girl are actually very slim."

"He's a Lightning Drake," murmured Draco. "Luna called you the Lightning Bearer."

Harry smiled and whispered, "My little lightning child." He received a contented hum from the baby in answer. He already loved this child so much, and he would protect his growing family with every fibre of his being. Voldemort was going down today. He just didn't know it yet.


	23. Chapter 23

Chapter 23

"So when should we do this?" asked Draco nervously. Merlin, he wanted to nothing more than hide away from this. He didn't want to be master of the Elder Wand. It was too much... too big to even contemplate.

Harry felt a twinge of sympathy for the other teen. He could tell just how overwhelmed and terrified Draco felt, and he was rather proud of the blond for facing and overcoming those fears. Draco had come a long way from the petty, vindictive wizard he'd been at school.

"Right now," said Harry. He pulled out his wand and smacked Draco on top of the head with it, smirking at the heated glare he got before the blond faded from sight. "There's the Disillusion spell. Now you just need to cast the spell to hide your scent and transform into your animagus form."

"You could have warned me. That hurt," muttered Draco petulantly, rubbing the top of his head. He grabbed his wand and cast the Scent Removal spell on himself and transformed. He then flew to Harry, landing on the brunet's shoulder.

"You can't stay around my shoulders, Draco. Severus or Lucius will definitely find you there," said Harry. He gently lifted the mini-wyve off of his shoulder and tucked him into an inner pocket of his robe. "There should be fine. Just stay quiet."

The mini-wyve huffed softly and curled up in Harry's pocket. The things he did for his family. They better appreciate this, or else.

Feeling the blond's petulance and indignation, Harry smiled fondly. Draco might pout and sulk, but he would do anything he could to protect his family. He couldn't ask for a better person to watch his back in the upcoming battle.

"Now I just need to grab a few things before we leave. We have to grab Voldie's attention, and I know just the way to do it," said Harry with a smirk.

Harry hurried up to his room and threw open his trunk. He knew they were in there somewhere. Yes! There they were! He grabbed an armful of the products the Weasley twins had sent him and tucked them in various pockets.

As he hid the last product away, Luna peeked into the room. "Hello, Harry. Off to see the wizard, I see."

Harry snickered at the image Luna's statement conjured in his head. He could just see him, Lucius, and Severus skipping down the yellow brick road to find Voldemort. It was absolutely hilarious.

Luna smiled at Harry and stepped further into the room. "I know Draco told you what I told him, but there's something else you should know. I'm afraid it may be too late for the wolf. Deadly silver seeks to end his life, and the chance for survival is ever decreasing. There is only one thing that can save him, but it comes at a price."

"What kind of a price?" asked Harry softly.

"Your humanity," said Luna solemnly. "To use the Breath of Life, you would truly become an Earth Drake. It would no longer just be an animagus form for you. And with that change comes many others. Are you willing to accept that, Harry?"

"Will this hurt my child in any way?" asked Harry, biting his lip nervously.

Luna shook her head. "No. In fact, it would actually make things easier for you. Earth Drakes are the child bearers of the drake species, after all. You would even be able to shift between forms without harming the baby."

Harry sighed and asked his next question. "Will it affect my bond with Lucius and Severus?"

"I don't know," said Luna regretfully. She stepped toward the brunet and hugged Harry tight. "Just trust in your mates, Harry. I truly believe they love you more than anything else in the world." She slowly released Harry and smiled reassuringly. "Take care of Draco, will you?"

"Of course, Luna," said Harry with a sad smile.

As the blonde walked out of the room, Draco flew from his pocket and transformed back to normal, cancelling the Disillusionment charm. "You can't seriously be considering this, Harry. Is the wolf's life really worth losing my father and Severus?"

"It's not that simple, Draco. He has a son... my godson. I don't want Teddy to grow up without his father like I did, but I... I don't know how this will affect Lucius and Severus," said Harry softly.

"If this destroys the bond you have with them, it will be your child that will be affected the most," said Draco. It was a dirty move, but Harry had to realise just what was at stake if he did this.

"I know, Draco," snapped Harry. Before he could say anything else, he heard footsteps coming down the hallway. "They're coming. Hurry up and change back." He pulled his wand out to recast the Disillusionment charm, but Draco quickly shook his head and grabbed his own wand.

"I'll cast it. My poor head can't stand for you to cast it again." Draco hurriedly cast the spell and transformed back into his wyvern form.

Harry settled the mini-wyve back into his pocket and patted his other pockets to make sure his Weasley products were still hidden. A moment later, the bedroom door opened, and Lucius stepped into the room. He looked at Harry and frowned slightly.

"What's wrong, Harry? And don't even bother saying nothing because I can tell that there's something bothering you. Besides, I just saw that Lovegood chit coming from this direction. What did that girl say to you?"

Harry's face fell, and he suddenly threw himself into Lucius' arms, burrowing his face in the blond's chest. "Remus is dying. Apparently, Voldie decided not to wait for us and poisoned him with silver. She said there was a way to save him, but..." He just couldn't voice his fears out loud. He didn't want to even contemplate the idea of losing this closeness with Lucius.

"What did she say, Harry?" asked Lucius gently.

Harry took a shuddery breath and held onto Lucius even tighter. "I can save him by using the Breath of Life, but if I do, I become an actual Earth Drake."

"Is that really so bad?" asked Lucius.

Harry shook his head. "It's not that, Lucius. She said that it might affect the mating bond between me, you, and Severus. I would love to be a drake like you, but not if it means losing you and Severus."

Lucius kissed the top of Harry's head. "Harry, nothing will ever sever the bond between us. If anything, becoming an Earth Drake would actually reinforce our bond. As for Severus, he chose you as his mate. Once bonded, the only way to sever it is through death. Trust us, Harry. We will always be there for you no matter what."

Lucius tilted Harry's face up and pressed a gentle to kiss to the brunet's lips. "I love you, Harry."

Harry smiled and threw his arms around Lucius' neck, pulling the blond down into a deep, passionate kiss. When he finally drew back, Harry was flushed and out of breath and so very happy. "I love you, too, Lucius."

Severus suddenly stepped out of the shadows, ending the tender moment. "We should go now. Are you both ready?" Lucius and Harry nodded, so Severus grabbed them by the arm and pulled them into the shadows, transporting them to the shadows outside Hagrid's hut.

Lucius kissed Harry once more and transformed into his mini-drake form before flying up to the roof of Hagrid's hut. Severus leaned down and covered Harry's lips in a deep, consuming kiss before reluctantly releasing him. "Stay by Lucius at all times, Harry. Be careful."

"I will," Harry promised solemnly. He watched as Severus faded back into the shadows and took a deep breath, straightening his shoulders in determination. He carefully lifted Draco out of his pocket and draped him around his neck. "Well, this is it. Are you ready, Draco?"

A soft hiss was Harry's reply. It was now or never.

With that thought in mind, Harry stepped away from the hut and started up the path toward the castle, knowing that Lucius was near even if he couldn't see him. Once he was within view of the castle, he reached into another pocket and pulled out a box of Weasley's Wildfire Whiz-bangs.

Tossing a handful of them up into the air, Harry quickly cast several Stunning and Vanishing spells. Within seconds, the courtyard was alight with the colourful fireworks. He could see students gathering around the windows as a huge flaming, dragon flew toward the castle.

"That should get their attention, don't you think?" asked Harry proudly.

"Indeed," said Severus from behind him. "Any other tricks up your sleeve that I should know about?"

Harry smirked at the vampire. "Oh, this was just the beginning, Severus. I have much more planned for Voldie and his minions. They will regret ever messing with me and mine."

HPHP

Neville grinned as he stared down at Harry. It was time to take back the castle. "Ginny, let's go. Harry will keep them busy out there. It's up to us to secure the castle from within. Find as many of the D.A. as you can. Stun and bind anyone who stands in your way."

Ginny nodded and ran out the door. As she ran down the corridor, she saw Crabbe and Goyle hiding behind a statue, lying in wait for Lavender Brown. She stunned and bound them both before casting a Disillusionment charm on them to keep them hidden.

"Come on, Lavender. We have to secure the castle. Stun and bind anyone who's been helping the Death Eaters."

Lavender nodded and chased after Ginny. She would do what ever she could to help Harry, and she knew the rest of the D.A. felt the same. They would take back this castle if it was the last thing they did.

HPHP

Harry saw the first wave of Death Eaters coming toward him and smiled. When they got close enough to begin shooting spells, Harry activated the first trap. Beneath the Death Eaters' feet, a swamp began to grow, pulling them into the murky water.

Harry Stunned the trapped Death Eaters and activated the second trap. His grin widened in malicious pleasure when he saw Greyback in that particular group. Oh, this was perfect. Dung bombs exploded all around the Death Eaters, making their eyes water from the smell. Greyback was even worse off due to his werewolf senses.

Now it was time for the last trap. Harry threw a bag toward the Death Eaters. One of the Death Eaters cast a spell, making the bag explode, covering them in Instant Darkness Powder.

"They're all yours, Severus. Have fun," said Harry, nodding in satisfaction when the vampire disappeared into the darkness with a confident smirk. As a vampire, Severus would be able to see as though it was daylight.

Draco watched from his perch around Harry's neck in total awe. Harry had single-handedly taken down about thirty Death Eaters with a bag of tricks. How Slytherin of the golden boy. Draco heard panicked screams from within the darkness and wanted to smile. Severus was quite ruthless to those who tried to hurt his precious little mate.

When the powder finally dispersed, Severus was gone and the Death Eaters were gone. Harry idly wondered where Severus had taken them, but his attention was caught once again by Greyback. The damn werewolf had obviously recovered from the dungbomb attack and was absolutely furious.

"I'll kill you!" he roared and barrelled toward Harry.

"I'm afraid not," said Harry softly.

A burst of freezing air surrounded the irate werewolf, covering him in ice within seconds. Harry calmly raised his wand and cast the Reducto curse, shattering the werewolf into tiny pieces. "That was for Remus and Bill and the countless others you hurt."

Draco suddenly hissed and uncurled himself from around Harry's shoulders. The Dark Lord was coming. His accursed Dark Mark burned even in his animagus form when that bastard was near. Draco flew to the ground in front of Harry and transformed back, shielding the brunet's body with his own.

"Stay behind me, Harry. He's coming."

"Draco..."

Draco shook his head, cutting off Harry's protest with a glare. "I am the Master of the Elder Wand. The spells will be weaker if he tries to use it against me."

"Weaker, but not ineffective," snapped Harry.

"Harry, just trust me," said Draco heatedly. "All I have to do is hold him off long enough for Severus to kill the snake, and then Father can freeze his arse."

Before Harry could argue any more, Voldemort stepped into the clearing with ten more Death Eaters. "Well, well, well. If it isn't Harry Potter cowering behind a traitorous Malfoy."

Harry raised an unimpressed brow. "You're one to talk, Tom. After all, you're the one who sent out most of your Death Eaters to wear me down before you got here. By the way, have you found them yet?"

Tom smirked and snapped his fingers. Two Death Eaters stepped forward, dragging the limp body of Remus Lupin between them. "Is this what you're after? I'm afraid you're too late, Potter. Wormtail got a little enthusiastic with him."

Harry barely glanced at Remus, knowing he would break down completely if he did. "You just can't do anything for yourself these days, can you? Do you make your Death Eaters wipe your arse, as well?"

Voldemort snarled in rage at the Gryffindor's continued insolence. Raising his wand, he cast the Killing Curse at the two teens. Draco dodged one way, and Harry dodged the other. Voldemort smirked and hit Draco with the Imperious curse before he even hit the ground.

"Bring Potter to me, Draco."

He tried to fight the compulsion, but his connection to the Dark Lord weakened his resolve, and he lost the battle of wills. With glazed eyes, Draco raised his wand and cast a stunning spell toward Harry's unprotected back as the brunet tried to stay on his feet. Harry turned around just as the spell hit the baby's shield. The spell was deflected into the crowd of Death Eaters, hitting one of them in the chest.

Voldemort glared at the brunet and shouted, "Bring that brat to me now!" How the hell had Potter deflected that spell like that? What kind of magic was it?

A loud roar, however, stopped them in their tracks, and Lucius returned to his original size, towering menacingly over the wizards. As the Death Eaters turned their attention toward the enraged drake, Voldemort kept his attention focussed on Harry and Draco. He noticed that all of the magical attacks directed at Harry were immediately deflected, so he would have to try a physical attack. He transfigured a twig into a dagger and tossed it on the ground at Draco's feet.

"Take the dagger, Draco. Cut out his heart and give it to me."

Draco frantically tried to resist the command as his body leaned down to pick up the dagger. He was vaguely aware of Harry just a few feet away, fending off several Death Eaters, and automatically turned in that direction. His brain was screaming at him to stop. He didn't want to hurt Harry. Harry was his best friend, and his father's mate.

Despite all that, though, Draco slowly crept up behind Harry and raised the dagger high, a mere puppet in Voldemort's twisted game. Then Harry twisted just a little bit, but the movement pulled his clothing tight over his belly, revealing the gentle swell of his stomach created by Draco's growing little brother. The dagger fell from his nerveless fingers, and he staggered back as the spell controlling him shattered. He couldn't believe he'd come so close to hurting... killing Harry.

With a snarl of rage, Draco grabbed his wand and turned to face Voldemort. He would make that bastard pay for doing that to him. He took a step toward the serpentine wizard, a curse ready on his lips, but a Stunning spell hit him in the back, knocking him out completely.

"Sorry, Draco, but it's my turn now," said Harry regretfully.

In the shadows behind Voldemort, Severus stepped into view with Gryffindor's sword in hand. With focussed determination, he brought the sword down, decapitating Nagini and destroying Voldemort's last remaining Horcrux.

"No! You're supposed to be dead, you traitor!" Voldemort screamed at Severus. How had things gotten so far out of his control? That Malfoy brat shouldn't have been able to break free from his spell, and now he had to deal with a man who was supposed to be dead. "I'll fix that now, though."

"Now, Lucius!" Harry commanded.

Severus smirked at Voldemort and faded back into the shadows.

Lucius roared and a blast of freezing air shot toward Voldemort, freezing him instantly. However, before Harry could cast the Reducto spell to shatter the evil wizard, Severus stepped back into view and cast it for him, grinning maliciously as his former master exploded into tiny shards of ice, and then he stomped on the pieces for good measure.

Harry immediately ran to Remus' side and gently rolled the werewolf onto his back. He gasped in horror when he saw the other man's damaged chest. Remus was barely breathing, and his body continuously convulsed as the silver raced through his veins. There was no way Harry could just watch him suffer like this, not when he could actually do something about it.

Harry stepped away from Remus and transformed into his drake form. The emerald green drake lowered its head toward the werewolf and gently breathed. A light green mist covered Remus from head to toe, repairing the damage done to him.

Weak and weary, Harry transformed back to normal and collapsed to the ground beside Remus. He could already feel the changes in his body. He truly was an Earth Drake now.

Severus gently lifted Harry into his arms and looked at Lucius. "I'll take him home, Lucius. You take care of the wolf and Draco."

Before he could leave, however, there was a loud cry from the castle. "HARRY! HARRY!"

Harry looked toward the castle and saw the D.A. and the professors cheering. He smiled softly, glad to see that everyone was all right. "It's finally over," he whispered.

"Yes, it is," Severus agreed. "Let's go home."

Harry nodded. That sounded absolutely perfect.


	24. Chapter 24

Chapter 24

Hermione walked into the kitchen and found Luna staring out the window absently. "Hey, Luna. Have you seen Harry this morning?"

"He's at Hogwarts," Luna said calmly.

"What?" Hermione screeched. "When did he leave? Why didn't he take us with him? I'm gonna kill that boy when I get my hands on him."

Ron peeked into the room with a wary expression on his face. Seeing his girlfriend in a rage, he whispered to Luna, "What's got her so mad?"

Unfortunately, Hermione heard his question, and she whirled around to face him with a snarl. "That prat went to Hogwarts without us!"

Before Ron could muster up his own anger, Luna cut in. "It needed to be done this way, Hermione. Harry had the best protection from magical attacks because he carries a drake child, and Lucius and Severus are better equipped to protect him from physical attacks." She looked at Ron and raised an eyebrow. "Can either of you say the same?"

"That's not the point, Luna. We're his best friends, and we promised to stand by him until the end," said Hermione.

Luna smiled at that declaration. "There's still something you can do to help him."

"And what's that?" asked Hermione skeptically.

"Contact the Ministry. As acting Minister, Shacklebolt would probably be the best person to talk to. Inform him of what has happened the past few months and tell him about the ongoing battle," said Luna reasonably.

Hermione looked at the blond for a long moment and sighed. "You want me to convince him to pardon Lucius and Severus, don't you?"

Luna just smiled enigmatically.

Hermione shook her head in resignation. "Fine. I'll see what I can do. Harry so owes me for this, though."

***

Remus slowly opened his eyes, awakened by the loud cheers. He gingerly turned his head and saw students crowded in front of the castle, chanting Harry's name. Was he at Hogwarts? What in Merlin's name was going on? The last thing he remembered was Wormtail gleefully digging that silver hand into his chest followed by excruciating agony. How was he still alive? The silver poisoning should have killed him.

"I'll take him home, Lucius. You take care of the wolf and Draco."

Remus jerked in surprise at the sound of Severus' voice and struggled to sit up.

"Looks like Lupin's already awake," said Lucius, kneeling down beside Draco. "Now that your wolf is still alive, maybe you would like to explain why Draco is also here, Harry."

"Well, you see, you know that wand Voldemort's been using? That was the Elder Wand, and apparently Dumbledore was it's master before Sev killed him. When Draco disarmed Dumbledore in the Astronomy Tower, he became the master of the Elder Wand, so he came to give me some additional protection," Harry hurriedly explained.

"The Elder Wand?" asked Lucius. "As in one of the Deathly Hallows?"

Harry nodded. "That's it. Of course, it's a moot point now. It kinda got shattered along with Voldemort."

Lucius shook his head in disbelief and used Enervate to wake up Draco. The blond teen woke immediately and looked up at his father in confusion. He heard the cheers coming from the castle and groaned.

"I missed it, didn't I? The Dark Lord's gone, and I missed it. Dammit!"

"Sorry, Draco," said Harry apologetically. "But at least I only stunned you. You tried to kill me."

"What?!"

Draco paled at the twin glares aimed at him. "It wasn't my fault! The Dark Lord used the Imperious curse on me!"

"Like we haven't heard that excuse before," said Harry teasingly.

"Harry, are you trying to get me killed?" asked Draco frantically.

"Fine," said Harry with a little pout. "It wasn't Draco's fault. Besides, he broke the spell before he could actually hurt me in anyway. Happy now?"

"Immensely," said Draco. He heard movement behind him and turned around, scowling when he saw Remus struggling to his feet. He glared at Harry. "You healed him, didn't you? Are you that eager to get rid of your mates?"

"What is he talking about?" asked Severus curtly.

"You didn't even tell him?" asked Draco incredulously. "When he used the Breath of Life, he became a full Earth Drake."

Severus leaned down and buried his face in Harry's neck, breathing in his mate's scent. Harry's sweet scent now had an earthy scent mixed in with it. Overall, it was very appealing. It reminded him of a picnic in the forest. Severus licked the vein in Harry's neck and lightly bit down, just barely breaking the skin and bringing a single drop of blood to the surface. The blood hit his tongue, and Severus moaned softly at the taste.

Lucius raised his eyebrows at the pair. Well, that answered that question. Severus was still just as drawn to Harry now as he was before the change. And he wasn't the only one, either. He hadn't been lying when he told Harry that nothing would ever sever the bond between them.

"So you're all still mates?" asked Draco hesitantly.

Lucius smiled at his son. "Yes, Draco. Severus and I are still Harry's mates, just as I told Harry we would be."

"Wait! Harry healed me?" asked Remus, staring at the four of them in confusion. "How is that possible? Silver poisoning is impossible to cure."

"What part of 'he used the Breath of Life and became a full Earth Drake' did you not understand, Lupin? He sacrificed his humanity to save your worthless hide," snapped Draco.

"How is that possible?" Remus repeated dumbly. "Harry's just a wizard. How could he possibly become a drake?"

"I had an Earth Drake animagus form, Moony," Harry explained. "Luna told me I could use my animagus form's power to save you, but it would transform me into a true drake."

"Harry, you shouldn't have done that," said Remus despairingly. "I'm not worth that kind of sacrifice."

"Well, at least someone agrees with me," Draco muttered snidely.

Harry scowled at Draco. "It was my decision, and I thought it was worth it. Your son needs you. And... I didn't want my godson growing up without his parents like I did."

Remus' face softened at Harry's halting confession. "Thank you, Harry. You are a constant amazement to me."

"Enough of the sentimental garbage. Can we please go home now? Stress isn't good for the baby, Harry," whinged Draco.

"Baby? What baby?" asked Remus, staring at Harry with dawning suspicion. Malfoy couldn't possibly mean what he thought he meant. Harry couldn't pregnant, could he?

Harry smiled happily and rubbed his slightly rounded tummy. "I'm pregnant, Moony. I'm due in about four months. We're having a little boy."

"F-Four months?" Remus stuttered in surprise. "B-But that means..." He turned a murderous glare toward Lucius. "You didn't give him any time to get accustomed to the idea of becoming your mate, did you? You didn't even have the grace to marry him before you knocked him up."

Harry blinked in surprise at the accusation before he realised why Remus thought that way. "No, Moony. It wasn't like that. Drake pregnancies are only twenty-eight weeks long, and I am definitely carrying a drake child."

Lucius sneered at Remus. "Not that it is any business of yours, but I asked Harry to marry me long before he was with child."

"Then why aren't you married yet?" asked Remus skeptically. "And what's the deal with Snape? I thought drakes were possessive of their mates, but you seem to be awfully calm about a vampire holding your mate."

Harry blushed slightly. "Uh, that's because Severus is also my mate."

"What?" asked Remus incredulously. "You're sleeping with Lucius and Severus? Why the hell am I just now hearing about this?"

"Because you haven't bothered to contact him in any way?" Draco suggested snidely.

"You could have written, Harry," said Remus disappointedly.

"I did, actually," said Harry softly, stifling a yawn with his hand. "Hedwig kept bringing my letters back. Were you hiding someplace owl mail couldn't reach you? The same thing happened when I tried to send Ron and Hermione letters when they were in hiding."

"Yes, Tonks and I are staying with the Weasley's until the baby's born," said Remus guiltily.

"You didn't hide very well if the Dark Lord managed to get his hands on you," sneered Draco.

Remus scowled at the irritating blond. "I was captured when I went to Diagon Alley to stock up on supplies."

"Draco, leave him alone," said Harry wearily. He was so tired, and he just wanted to go home and go to sleep. The fact that he had conducted this entire conversation from the safety of Severus' arms should have made that clear to everyone, but obviously he was going to have to be blunt. "I'm tired, and I want to go home. I used a lot of magic to save Remus, and I need sleep, dammit!"

Lucius smiled indulgently at his irritable mate. "Take him home, Severus. Draco and I will handle things on this end."

Severus smirked and nodded, carrying Harry into the shadows and transporting them back to the safe house. He was more than happy to let Lucius deal with Lupin.

"And why exactly did we have to stay here?" sniped Draco. "As far as I'm concerned, we've said all that needs to be said."

Before Lucius could say anything, they heard someone shout, "Malfoy, wait!"

Both Malfoys looked in the direction the shout had come from and saw the youngest Weasley running toward them. Lucius fought not to growl at the girl as she approached. The bint better not be planning on making a move on his mate. Harry was his!

"Where's Harry? Is he all right?" she asked worriedly.

"What business it of yours?" snapped Draco.

"He's fine, Ginny," said Remus soothingly. The Weasley girl might not hear it, but he had no problems hearing the soft growls that rumbled in Lucius' chest at the girl's appearance, so he stepped between them to prevent the blond from killing her. "He wasn't hurt at all."

"Then where is he?" Ginny demanded. She was hoping that now that Voldemort was truly dead, Harry would come back to her. Just because Lucius Malfoy had decided Harry was his mate didn't mean that Harry actually had to stay with him. Besides, Harry desperately wanted a family, and that was highly unlikely since male pregnancies were so rare. "Why isn't he here?"

"Harry's... well, apparently, he's..." stuttered Remus. He still couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that Harry was pregnant much less inform anyone else.

"Harry's pregnant," said Draco, sneering at the werewolf. "However, the reason Harry is not here is because the idiotic prat decided to heal Lupin from near death."

"Harry's pregnant," Ginny repeated numbly. With those two words, her hopes were completely dashed. Harry would never leave Malfoy now that he was pregnant.

Draco smirked at the redhead. "Yes, Weaslette. Harry's pregnant with my little brother." He stepped closer to her and whispered, "He wouldn't have come back to you even if he wasn't pregnant. He loves my father and Severus, and they love him. Your dreams of becoming Mrs. Potter will never come true, so you may as well just give up and move on."

Ginny sobbed softly and ran back to the castle.

Remus sighed and gave Draco a look of disapproval. "You didn't have to be so mean to her."

Draco snorted derisively. "Yes, I did. The bint needed to know she had no chance with Harry. He's happy now, and he doesn't need her causing problems for him."

Lucius sighed softly. Although he agreed with Draco's sentiment, he knew Harry wouldn't be happy with the way they handled it. Obviously, he would need to deal with things on his own. "Draco, why don't you go on home? I'm sure Luna is waiting for you."

Draco blushed slightly at the comment about Luna and glared at his father. "Are you trying to get rid of me or something?"

"Of course not, Draco," lied Lucius. "I simply thought that you would prefer to spend your time with Luna rather than dealing with irate professors and Aurors."

"Well, when you put it that way," said Draco musingly. "I'll just be on way then. But don't take too long, and be careful. Harry will be extremely upset if anything happens to you." With a cocky grin, Draco almost ran to the apparition point and apparated away.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" asked Remus softly. "After all, you are an escapee from Azkaban."

"I'm not an escapee. I was forcibly removed from the prison," Lucius corrected.

"Yeah, but I don't think the Aurors will see it the same way," said Remus wryly.

Lucius looked at Lupin and raised an eyebrow. "Well, then I guess you'll just have to vouch for me, won't you? After all, Harry would be devastated if something were to happen to me when you could have stopped it."

Remus scowled at the reminder. "Don't remind me. I still think Harry deserves someone a lot better than you... and Severus."

"That may be true, but he chose to be with Severus and me, and he's happy with us," said Lucius bluntly. "Shouldn't that be more important than what you want for him?"

Remus reluctantly conceded the point to Lucius. Before the conversation could continue any further, several Aurors ran from the castle to surround Lucius.

"Lucius Malfoy! You are under arrest for escaping from Azkaban!"

"I didn't escape," snapped Lucius irritably. "Voldemort kidnapped me!"

Kingsley slowly approached the irate blond. "Stand down, gentlemen. Mr Malfoy has been pardoned for his former crimes in honour of his participation in Voldemort's recent death. He is now a free man."

"What about Severus? He helped, as well," said Lucius.

Kingsley nodded and smiled. "Hermione told me about him, as well. His pardon was also approved." He cocked his head thoughtfully. "I was told that Severus was dead, though. Mind explaining?"

"Well, technically he is. The Dark Lord forced him to drink the same potion he forced me to drink, and Severus was turned into a vampire. He's also Harry's other mate," said Lucius.

Kingsley shook his head in amusement. "Only Harry could pull something like that off. Tell him I'll send him an owl in a few days."

Lucius nodded and said, "In that case, I think I'll head home now. Harry's probably worried himself sick, and with him pregnant, that's not a good thing." Without another word, he turned on his heel and strode to the apparition point.

Kingsley gaped at the retreating blond before looking to Remus for answers. "Did he just say that Harry was pregnant?"

"Yes, he did," said Remus wearily. "Don't feel so bad. It was a total shock for me, too."

"That boy just can't do anything normal, can he?" asked Kingsley incredulously.


	25. Chapter 25

Chapter 25

Luna looked up when Draco walked into the kitchen. Seeing no visible wounds on the other blond, she smiled in relief. "Welcome back, Draco. I see your mission was a success."

Draco scowled slightly and sat down at the table. "If you say so. I missed half the damn battle because Harry stunned me."

Luna giggled softly. "And what did you do to deserve that, Draco?"

Draco pouted at the question. "Why do you assume I did something?" Luna just gave him a pointed look. "Fine! The Dark Lord used the Imperious Curse on me, trying to make me kill Harry. He almost succeeded, too, but I broke free of the curse before I could actually hurt him."

"And what of Lupin?" asked Luna.

Draco snorted at the question. "As if you don't know. The prat healed him, of course." He crossed his arms with a mulish expression on his face. "He should have let the damn wolf rot. Harry's just lucky that the change didn't affect his bonds with his mates."

"I'm sure Harry just had faith in Lucius and Severus," said Luna calmly.

Before he could argue that logic, Hermione and Ron ran into the room, obviously looking for Harry. Hermione smiled when she saw Draco, but it faded when she didn't see her best friend with him. "Where's Harry? Is he all right? Is he hurt in anyway? Dammit, Draco, you were supposed to protect him."

"Geez, Hermione. He's fine. Severus brought him home ages ago," said Draco defensively. When it looked as though Hermione was going to go search for Harry, he stopped her. "Leave him alone for the moment. A lot happened, and he needs some time to adjust."

"What do you mean?" asked Hermione hesitantly.

Draco sighed and rubbed his face wearily. "The Dark Lord captured Lupin not too long ago."

Hermione gasped and covered her mouth in horror. "Oh, no. Harry must be crushed."

Draco rolled his eyes and scowled at the witch. "If you would let me finish before jumping to conclusions, I would greatly appreciate it. Now, as I was saying, Lupin managed to get himself captured, and Harry, being the hotheaded hero he just has to be, planned to rush in and save him. Of course, my father and Severus managed to halt that line of thinking early on, so they came up with a new plan of action."

Hermione's lips quirked in a smile at Draco's animated storytelling, but she managed to refrain from saying anything. Truth be told, it was kind of nice to see the normally snooty blond so... well, not snooty.

"It was Severus' job to kill that damn snake while Father guarded Harry from physical harm. I had the most important job, though," continued Draco proudly. "When I disarmed Dumbledore on the Astronomy Tower last year, I became Master of the Elder Wand, so it was my job to shield Harry from the Dark Lord."

He conveniently forgot to mention what a failure that was and continued on with his story. "And Harry was totally brilliant, too. He set up traps for the Death Eaters, using products from the twins' joke shop. You should have seen it, Hermione. He trapped several of them in one of those Portable Swamps, and he incapacitated even more with Dung Bombs. By then half of the Dark Lord's minions were out of commission, but Harry wasn't done. He tossed some of that Instant Darkness Powder at them and set Severus on them."

"Oh, the twins will love that," crowed Ron happily. "It will just tickle them to death to know that Harry used their products against the Death Eaters like that."

Hermione had to admit that she was impressed. It boggled the mind to think that Harry had managed to take down so many Death Eaters with mere pranks. "Then what happened?" she asked eagerly.

"Once all the Death Eaters were out of the way, Father froze the Dark Lord in a solid block of ice, and then Severus blasted him apart with a Reducto Curse," said Draco. "Of course, that's when Harry decided to play hero again. Apparently, Lupin was dying from silver poisoning, so Harry transformed into his animagus form and used the Breath of Life on the mangy wolf."

"That reckless boy," said Hermione in admonishment. "He almost lost the baby the last time he transformed. But I understand why he did it. Remus means a lot to him, and the fact that Moony has a child on the way probably swayed his decision, as well. Harry wouldn't want Moony's child to grow up like he did."

Draco huffed. It figured that Hermione would see things that way. She was a bloody Gryffindor, too. "He didn't just heal Lupin, Hermione. Using the magic of his animagus form like that caused him to actually become an Earth Drake. Harry gave up his very humanity and risked losing his mates to save that wolf."

Hermione stared at Draco in shock. How was that possible? She'd never heard of anything like that happening before. She looked at Luna for the answer since the blonde seemed to have a never ending supply of them these days.

The blonde smiled gently at Hermione. "It's not that farfetched, Hermione. Harry is unique. He's mated to a Frost Drake, his animagus form was an Earth Drake, and he carries a Lightning Drake in his womb. With such a concentrated amount of drake magic surrounding him, it was almost inevitable."

"Besides, he's Harry Bloody Potter, and anything is possible with that prat," added Draco snidely. "You, of all people, should know that, Hermione. I mean, how many times has he survived impossible odds in the last few years?"

Hermione sighed softly. That was certainly true. "So Harry's an Earth Drake now. How is that affecting him? Will it hurt the baby?"

"He and the baby are fine, Hermione," said Luna calmly. "Now that he's a drake, his magic is more compatible with the baby's, so transforming won't harm the baby like it did when it was just his animagus form."

"It could only happen to Harry," murmured Hermione in bemusement.

***

Remus apparated back to Andromeda's house and walked in the front door, heading straight for the kitchen. There was always at least one person in that room at this time of day. Today was no different.

Molly bustled around the kitchen, preparing a cup of tea. She sat down at the table with a soft sigh. She didn't know what do. Poor Tonks was devastated about Remus' disappearance, and if she didn't start taking care of herself, she was going to lose the baby. And to add to her worries, Molly hadn't heard from Ron or Hermione in months and Harry even longer.

"Molly."

Molly looked up and almost screamed in surprise when she saw exactly who spoke. "Remus, you're back. Are you alright? Where in Merlin's name have you been? We've all been worried sick about you, especially your pregnant wife."

Remus smiled at the redhead. "Calm down, Molly. Call everyone down, and I'll tell you everything. It's a fantastic tale."

Molly scowled at him for a long moment before she hurried out of the kitchen. A few minutes later, a puffy, red-eyed Tonks walked into the room. She stared at Remus in disbelief, thinking that perhaps she was hallucinating, before bursting into tears and throwing herself into his arms. As the werewolf's arms wrapped around her, she felt the heavy despair that had weighed down on her since his disappearance finally abate.

"Thank Merlin you're home, Remus. I thought you were..." She couldn't voice that last thought aloud. It was too unbearable to think about.

"I almost did, love," said Remus regretfully. "I was captured by Death Eaters to use as bait for Harry. They tortured me and finally used silver on me."

Tonks flinched and held onto him even tighter. She'd come so close to losing him, she wasn't letting go any time soon. "How did you survive?"

"Harry healed me," said Remus simply. Before he could elaborate further, the rest of the household began to gather in the kitchen.

"It's good to see that you're alright, Remus," said Arthur warmly as he sat down at the table.

Andromeda hugged her son-in-law with happy tears in her eyes. "Thank goodness you're back. Poor Nymphadora has been worried sick about you."

Tonks was so happy to have her husband back, she didn't even blink an eye at the use of her full name.

"Tell us what happened, Remus," Molly commanded.

"I was captured by Death Eaters when I went to Diagon Alley for supplies. I was brought before You-Know-Who and tortured for hours. That traitor, Pettigrew, shoved his silver hand in my chest at some point, and I don't remember much after that," growled Remus.

Remus took a deep breath, trying to calm himself down. "The next thing I remember is waking up at Hogwarts to the sound of cheers. Harry did it. He killed that bastard once and for all. He's also the only reason I'm still alive."

"What do you mean?" asked Molly curiously.

"Did you know that Harry was an Earth Drake animagus?" asked Remus wryly. "Yeah, neither did I. Well, as I lay there dying, Harry transformed into his animagus form and used his drake magic to heal me. There was a major consequence of doing so, however."

"What happened? Is he alright?" asked Molly worriedly.

"Using the drake magic caused him to transform into a true Earth Drake. Harry's no longer just a wizard," said Remus softly. He then grinned at Molly. "He's also pregnant and due in about four months."

Molly gasped in shock. "Pregnant?" In the next instant, she smiled mistily. "My first grandchild. Oh, I can't wait. There's so much to do and only four months to do it."

"Well, Bill should be relieved," muttered Arthur. "Maybe Molly will give him a reprieve now that Harry's expecting."

Remus grinned at the other man and silently agreed. Molly had been relentless in her in demands for a grandchild from her oldest son. "I wouldn't bet on it, Arthur. She'll just say one grandchild isn't enough."

Arthur sighed in resignation. "Sadly, you're probably right."

***

Lucius apparated back to the safe house and hurried up to his bedroom. He smirked when he saw Severus curled protectively around Harry's sleeping form. It was always amusing to him to see the formerly aloof professor so cuddly with their mate. Of course, he was also quite sure Severus was just amused to see Lucius in the same state.

"Severus, are you awake?" he asked quietly.

Severus scowled and reluctantly moved away from Harry, climbing off the bed and moving across the room with Lucius to keep from waking the teen. "What is it, Lucius?"

Lucius looked at Harry in concern. "How is he?"

"He's exhausted," said Severus softly. "He has more scales now, too." He pulled the blond toward the bed and pointed to Harry's neck. "You see the thin band around his neck? And there on his hips?"

Lucius reached out slowly and traced the emerald green scales around Harry's neck delicately, making the teen's eyes flutter open. Lucius' own eyes widened in surprise. Harry's eyes were even more vividly green with molten silver swirls near the now slit pupils.

Harry smiled sleepily at the blond. "Lucius, you're back. Is everything alright?"

Lucius sat down on the bed and carded his hand through Harry's hair. "Everything's just fine. Your friend, Hermione, is a miracle worker. She somehow managed to convince Minister Shacklebolt to pardon both me and Severus."

"What?" asked Severus incredulously. "We're both free men? How in Merlin's name did she manage that?"

The blond nodded and smirked at the vampire. "Officially, our pardon is for our participation in the Dark Lord's defeat. However, I do believe the fact that we are mated to Harry Potter, Saviour of the Wizarding World, also had quite a bit to do with it. After all, it wouldn't be seemly for the Saviour's mates to be carted off to Azkaban, now would it?"

Harry laughed softly. "Well, at least my fame is good for something."

"Indeed," said Severus. He looked down at Harry speculatively. "And how do you feel, Harry?"

Harry stretched languidly and smiled up at the vampire. "Wonderful, actually. And baby, too." His stomach suddenly growled loudly. "Apparently, we're hungry, as well."

"Anything you want in particular?" asked Lucius.

Harry thought about it for a moment, trying to decide exactly what he wanted. He wanted a peanut butter sandwich, but he also wanted something tangy. He also wanted something salty and something sweet. "A peanut butter, cheese, and mustard sandwich. Oh, and a glass of milk, too. And maybe some honey and crackers."

Severus looked at Harry in horror, shuddering in disgust. Obviously, the cravings were hitting with a vengeance, as well. Lucius manfully kept his own disgust well hidden and called for a house-elf. The house-elf nodded eagerly and popped out of the room, returning moments later with the pregnant drake's meal.

Harry eagerly grabbed his sandwich and took a big bite, smiling happily when the tangy peanut butter hit his tongue. It was just what he wanted. When he finished his sandwich, he finally noticed that Lucius and Severus weren't eating yet. Picking up a honey-coated cracker, he raised a brow at them.

"Aren't you going to eat?" he asked, popping the sweetened cracker into his mouth. Ooh, that was perfect- salty and sweet at the same time.

They both looked at Harry's food and then down at their own before pushing their plates away. "We're really not all that hungry," said Lucius diplomatically. "After all, breakfast wasn't that long ago. Besides, you need the food more to replace the energy used for your transformation."

Harry shrugged and pulled their plates closer to him. "More for me then. You're right, though. I feel like I'm about to starve." He looked down at the two sandwiches thoughtfully before calling the house-elf back. "Can you get me some chocolate sauce and ketchup?" The house-elf nodded and quickly returned with the requested items. Harry slathered the chocolate sauce and ketchup on the two ham sandwiches and happily munched on them.

Once Harry was finished with his meal, he looked over at his mates with a grin. They were both studiously looking anywhere but in his direction. "Okay, I'm done. You're free to look again." He hadn't deliberately tried to disgust his two mates with his food choices, but he did have to admit that it was funny to see their reactions.

Lucius looked at Harry in surprise, eyes widening in surprise when he noticed the clean plates. The teen hadn't been lying about feeling starved.

Harry grinned sheepishly when he noted the blond's incredulous stare and shrugged. "I told you I was starving, Lucius."

"Indeed," said Severus blandly. "I believe that I shall go and prepare a few nausea potions just in case, though. I'm sure I'll need them over the next few weeks."

"What's that supposed to mean?" asked Harry indignantly.

Severus paused at the door and smirked at Harry. "I'm just referring to your recurring morning sickness, Harry. What did you think I meant?"

Harry glowered at the vampire. He knew exactly what Severus was implying, and it had nothing to do with morning sickness. If he disgusted the other man that much, Severus could just sleep alone from now on.

Lucius saw the storm approaching and hurriedly intervened. "Could you brew some more pre-natal nutrient potions, as well? Harry took his last one this morning."

Severus nodded and walked out of the room.

Harry turned his scowl toward Lucius. "Obviously, the sofa is looking more comfortable for you, too, Lucius."

Lucius raised an eyebrow at his mate. "Now, Harry, there's really no need to threaten to cut us off again. Severus was just teasing you, and you know it." He saw on the bed and pulled a reluctant Harry into his arms, nuzzling the scales on the brunet's neck.

Harry immediately melted into Lucius' embrace, shuddering slightly when the blond's moist lips caressed his new scales. Merlin, did they have to be so damn sensitive? A loud moan escaped him when Lucius' hands caressed the scales on his hips, and he pulled the blond's mouth to his in a demanding kiss.

Lucius broke the kiss and pushed Harry onto his back. Looking down at his flushed and panting mate, Lucius was humbled at the thought that this wonderful creature was his. And with thought in mind, he set about worshipping his most prized possession. He trailed his lips down Harry's throat and chest, nipping lightly at a dusky nipple.

Harry hissed softly in pain. "Don't, Lucius. They're too tender for that."

Lucius gently licked around the abused nubbin in apology, soothing the slight sting of pain he'd caused. He gently kissed his way down Harry's torso, spreading loving kisses across the swollen expanse of the brunet's stomach.

"Hello, son. Your Papa can't wait to hold you," he whispered against the firm skin.

Harry suddenly gasped at the rush of warm love and excitement that came from within. "Wow, that was intense. What did you say to him?"

Lucius smirked at his mate. "That's between me and our son." He moved back up the bed and kissed Harry on the lips. "I've got other things to share with you today."

Harry smiled slightly. "Oh, yeah? And what's that?"

"Me," growled Lucius. He quickly prepared his pregnant mate and made love to him slowly and gently, thrusting into the brunet's heated depths in an unhurried rhythm.

Harry lost himself in the slow, deep, feeling his release just out of his reach. Then Lucius wrapped his large hand around Harry's shaft, fisting the flesh in time to their thrusts, and Harry was sent over the edge.

Lucius quickly followed him over the edge of oblivion, reaching his release with a soft growl. He reluctantly pulled out of the brunet and rolled them over so that he was curled around Harry. "Get some more rest, love."

"Stay with me?" asked Harry drowsily. He was too comfortable to move, nestled as he was in Lucius' arms.

"Always," Lucius promised.


	26. Chapter 26

Chapter 26

The next month dragged by slowly, and Harry was positively bored. With Voldemort finally defeated, he'd expected a bit more freedom, but that had not happened. Instead, he was stuck at the safe house while Lucius and Severus spent most of their time trying to help rebuild the Ministry and round up the remaining Death Eaters.

Not only was Harry bored, he was lonely. Ron and Hermione were all lovey dovey together, and Draco and Luna weren't much better. Watching them just made the loneliness that much keener, so he'd taken to avoiding them altogether. He couldn't even be mad at Lucius and Severus because they were only doing what they felt was needed to keep Harry and the baby safe. However, despite that knowledge, he couldn't help but feel a little bitter at being left behind like that.

Harry sighed irritably and stomped to the library. Maybe he could find something interesting to read since he had absolutely nothing else to do. Surprisingly enough, the room was empty, so Harry grabbed a book and warding magic and settled at his favourite table. Unfortunately, his distress caused his shields to weaken, and when he set the book down on the table, his hand brushed against the wood, triggering a vision.

"_What's wrong, Hermione?" asked Ron._

_Hermione sighed and smiled wistfully. "I think I'm a little jealous."_

"_Of what?"_

"_Despite being in the middle of a war, Harry has everything. He's in a committed relationship with two devoted partners, and he has a baby on the way. I'm happy for him because he deserves his happiness, but I can't help but be a little jealous," said Hermione softly._

_Ron licked his lips nervously and took a deep breath. "Hermione, I love you. I have for a long while, but I was just too afraid to admit it. I don't have a ring right now, but will you... will you marry me?"_

_Hermione stared at Ron in shock for a moment before a wide smile blossomed on her face, and she threw herself into Ron's arm, peppering his freckled face with excited kisses. "Yes! Yes, I will marry you!"_

The vision ended, and Harry could only smile because of the emotions from the vision. He was glad for his friends. It certainly took them long enough to get to this point.

As if responding to his happiness, a wave of joy swept through him accompanied by a sharp nudge to his stomach. Harry gasped in surprise and rubbed his belly, jumping when the baby kicked his hand. It wasn't the first time he'd felt the baby move, but it was the first time it was more than a slight flutter. So caught up in the new experience, he didn't hear the library door open.

"What are you smiling about?" asked Hermione.

Harry's smile widened. "The baby kicked."

Hermione squealed excitedly and rushed to Harry's side. "Can I feel?"

Harry took her hand and placed it on his belly. The baby immediately kicked Hermione's hand, causing the girl to squeal again. "Oh, it's absolutely amazing," she sighed softly.

Harry gave her a sly look. "That's not the only thing amazing. I'm amazed Ron finally mustered up the nerve to propose to you."

Hermione stared at Harry in shock. "How did you know?"

Harry smiled sheepishly. "I, uh, kinda saw it when I touched the table a while ago. It was actually kinda sweet."

Hermione sighed in remembrance. "It was, wasn't it? And now that the war is over and most of the Death Eaters have been captured, Ron and I are planning to return to the Burrow. Hopefully, the Weasley's will be back home, as well."

"When do you plan to leave?" asked Harry curiously.

"Today, actually," said Hermione.

Harry glared at his friend. "Were you even planning on telling me?"

"Of course, Harry. We've all just been a little busy," said Hermione placatingly. "We wouldn't have left without telling you."

Harry's look plainly said he didn't believe her. "What do you mean 'we've all just been a little busy'? You may have been busy, but I've been bored out of my mind for the last month."

Hermione flushed guiltily. "Oh, like you were any better when you and Lucius first got together, and let's not even mention when Severus got added into the mix. And that doesn't even count the fact that Ron and I had to hunt you down in the first place because Lucius kidnapped you from the Burrow."

"I wanna go with you," said Harry abruptly. "It would be nice to see the Weasley's again."

"What about..."

"I'll leave them a note," said Harry calmly. It was more than they deserved as far as he was concerned. It wasn't as though they bothered to tell him where they were these days, after all. Besides, he'd probably be back before they got home anyway.

Hermione looked a little uneasy, but the stubborn look on Harry's face convinced her not to argue. It would be pointless anyway. She finally sighed and nodded. She just hoped to stay out of the line of fire when Lucius and Severus found out.

"Write your note then. We leave in an hour."

Harry grinned at her and jotted down a short note, leaving it on the night stand. "I'm ready."

Hermione hid an amused smile at her friend's exuberance. "An hour, Harry. I'm sure you can find something to occupy your time until then."

"What part of 'bored out of my mind' did you not get the first time, Hermione?" whinged Harry. "Can't we leave any sooner?"

"Fine," said Hermione in exasperation. "If Ron's ready to go, we'll leave right away."

"He's ready," said Harry confidently.

***

Molly bustled around in the kitchen, cooking for her youngest son's arrival. The last month had been hectic. The Burrow had been damaged when Death Eaters attacked, and it had taken them the last three weeks to repair the damages. Now the place was as good as new.

She heard the floo activate and hurried into the living room. She saw Ron step out of the flames and pulled him into a tight hug. Hermione then stepped out of the flames, and Molly reached out to hug her as well, but Hermione shook her head and turned back to the fireplace. A moment later, a very familiar brunet stumbled out of the flames, and Hermione quickly reached out to steady him.

"Harry!" cried Molly happily, pulling the teen into a warm hug. "Oh, I'm so glad to see you're alright. Remus told us all about what happened."

"Hey, Mrs. Weasley," said Harry softly, rubbing his stomach to try and ease the nausea. The baby kicked his hand irritably, and Harry winced at the echoing emotions jolting through him. Obviously, the baby hadn't enjoyed the trip any more than he had.

Molly noticed the action and dragged him into the kitchen. "Sit down, dear, and I'll fix you some tea and crackers."

Harry gratefully sat down and nibbled on the crackers she set before him. The nausea finally abated, and Harry realised he was quite hungry. Whatever Mrs. Weasley was cooking smelled absolutely divine.

"Mum, when's lunch? I'm starving," said Ron, mirroring Harry's thoughts.

"It's almost done, Ron. Be a dear and set the table," said Molly cheerfully.

Ron quickly did as his mother asked and sat down at the table. He almost started drooling when the food began to settle gently on the table. He hadn't had his mum's cooking in ages!

Molly smiled at the three teens sat down with them. "Eat up, children. You especially, Harry dear. That baby needs all the nutrients it can get."

"Gladly," said Harry eagerly. He eagerly spooned some mashed potatoes onto his plate and mixed some orange marmalade into them. He then grabbed the pickles and put several on his plate.

Ron could only stare in disgust as his best friend dipped one of the pickles into the potato/marmalade mixture and brought it to his mouth, crunching on the dill happily. "Harry, what the bloody hell are you eating?"

"Ronald, watch your language," admonished Molly. She smiled indulgently at Harry. "Ignore him, dear. You just eat whatever makes you and baby happy."

Hermione giggled. "How long have you been having cravings, Harry?"

"About a month," said Harry between bites. "That's one of the reasons I've been eating in my room so often lately. I didn't want to ruin anyone else's meal because of them."

"You certainly don't seem to mind now," muttered Ron.

Harry glowered at the redhead. "Don't even start, Ron. Your table manners are enough to ruin a person's meal, so you have no right to complain."

"He's got you there, Ron," chortled Hermione. "As I recall, you managed to make poor Harry sick because of your eating habits."

Ron blushed slightly at the reminder. "You said it was morning sickness."

"It was a bit of both, actually," Harry confessed. "The fish was already making me nauseated, but I lost the battle when you started talking with your mouth full."

"Oh, you poor dear," said Molly sympathetically. "Has the morning sickness been really bad?"

Harry shrugged. "It only lasted a few weeks, so it wasn't that bad. It definitely could have been a lot worse. It helps when one of your mates is a Potions Master, though."

Molly frowned in confusion. "I didn't know Lucius was a Potions Master."

"He isn't," said Harry blithely. "I was referring to Severus."

"That traitor is supposed to be dead," snapped Molly.

"He isn't a traitor," said Harry, glaring at the Weasley matriarch. "Dumbledore forced Severus to kill him to keep his cover as spy safe."

"What?" gasped Molly. "Harry you can't believe anything he tells you."

Harry growled. "He didn't tell me. I saw it in a vision when I touched him. That's not all I learned, either. High and Mighty Dumbledore basically raised me as a living sacrifice. I was never supposed to live to see the end of this war."

Molly looked at Harry in horror. "No, he wouldn't do that."

Hermione sighed regretfully and said, "It's true, Mrs. Weasley. Dumbledore intended for Voldemort to kill Harry and for the Order to finish Voldemort off."

"But why?" asked Molly weakly.

"Because he thought that as long as I lived, Voldemort couldn't die," said Harry softly. "To his credit, he wasn't too far off the mark. However, Voldemort's decision to give Lucius that potion changed everything. If Lucius hadn't become a Frost Drake, I wouldn't have become an Earth Drake animagus, and if that hadn't happened, Dumbledore's view would have become reality."

"Oh, Harry," sighed Molly.

Tired of the morbid discussion, Hermione decided to change the subject. "Ron and I have some good news. We're going to get married!"

Molly looked at her in surprise, startled at he abrupt change in topic, before squealing happily and hugging Hermione. "Oh, I'm so happy for you two. Welcome to the family, Hermione." After she let go of Hermione, she turned and grabbed Ron into a big hug. "Have you already set the date?"

Hermione shook her head. "Not yet. We still need to go back to school so we can get our N.E.W.T.s since we missed the last year of school. Maybe next spring? I think I'd like to have it in April."

Harry's lips suddenly quirked into a smile. He had a feeling the wedding would be much sooner than that. December was a good month for a wedding.

***

Lucius apparated to the safe house with high spirits. Over the past month, he hadn't been able to spend more than ten minutes at a time with Harry except for when they were asleep, but now the reconstruction of the Ministry was finally done, and he could finally spend more time with his mate. However, his plans came to a grinding halt when he opened the bedroom door and saw nothing but a white sheet of parchment on the nightstand.

_In the unlikely event that I'm not here when you return, I've gone to the Burrow with Hermione and Ron. I should be back before suppertime. _

_Harry_

Well that was enough to make guilt stab at his heart. Lucius sighed wearily and dropped the letter back onto the nightstand. He obviously had a lot to make up to Harry for abandoning him for the last month.

"You're here awfully early. Does that mean the reconstruction is completely done?"

Lucius looked up and saw Draco leaning against the doorframe. "Yes, the reconstruction is finally done."

"Well, Harry should be happy. He's been a little down the last couple of weeks," said Draco blithely. "Maybe the trip to the Weasley's will cheer him up a bit. I don't know why, but he seems to like them quite a bit."

Lucius felt guilt stab him even more deeply.

Draco continued on, oblivious to his father's feelings of guilt. "He's barely left his room the last two weeks, and even then it was because Luna dragged him down to the kitchen to eat."

Lucius stood up abruptly. "I'm going to the Weasley's. I'll be back later." He stalked out of the room without another word, leaving his son blinking at his departing back in surprise.

***

"I've got this, dear. Why don't you go rest your feet on the sofa," said Molly, taking the dishes from Harry's hands. Setting the in the sink, she gently pushed Harry out of the kitchen.

Harry sighed softly and did as she asked. There was no use in arguing with the woman. She was bound and determined to coddle him while he was pregnant. He stretched out on the sofa and felt his eyes droop sleepily. He was almost asleep when the floo activated and Remus' panicked voice sounded from the fireplace.

"Molly, where are you? Dora's in labour, and we're headed to St. Mungo's!"

Harry almost fell off the sofa as he hurriedly tried to sit up. "Moony?"

"Harry! Tell Molly to meet us at St. Mungo's. Dora's in labour!"

"Of course," said Harry. "We'll be there as soon as we can."

Despite his panic, Remus smiled at the teen. "I'll see you then, cub."

The flames returned to normal, and Harry hurried into the kitchen. "Mrs. Weasley, Remus just fire-called. Tonks is in labour, and they're headed to St. Mungo's now."

Molly grinned widely at the news. She shouted to Ron and Hermione, telling them where she was going and headed to the fireplace. Harry hurried after her. "I'm coming, too. You'll need to go first, though. If you thought my landings were bad before, they're ten times worse now that I'm pregnant."

"Are you sure, dear?" asked Molly worriedly. "I'm sure Remus would understand if you stayed here."

Harry's mulish expression was his only answer, and Molly sighed in resignation. The boy really was too stubborn for his own good. She finally just grabbed some floo powder and tossed it into the fire. With one last worried look at Harry, she stepped into the flames and called out her destination.

Molly stepped out of the fireplace and turned around, ready to catch Harry when he came through. A few moments later, Harry stumbled out of the fireplace, and Molly quickly steadied him. "This way, Harry. The Maternity ward is on the fifth floor. It's down the hall from the tearoom."

When they got to the Maternity ward, they found Remus pacing outside the room with a worried frown. Harry immediately went to the werewolf and hugged the other man. "How is she?"

"The doctor said she's fully dilated, but the baby's turned wrong. He thinks they'll have to do a cesarean surgery to remove the baby safely," said Remus haggardly.

"She'll be alright, Moony. Tonks is one of the strongest women I know," said Harry soothingly.

Remus just hugged Harry close, taking comfort in the teen's presence, until Harry jumped slightly. "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing," said Harry easily. "The baby just kicked again."

Remus pushed Harry out to arms length and stared down at the teen. He was startled to find the teen showing much more than the last time he'd seen him. Before he could comment on the change, though, the medi-witch walked out of the room with a wide smile on her face.

"Mr. Lupin, your wife and son are waiting to see you."

As Remus rushed into the room, Harry smiled happily. His godson, at least, wouldn't know what it was like to lose his parents to a senseless war. That alone made everything worth it.


	27. Chapter 27

Chapter 27

Lucius apparated to the Burrow and knocked impatiently on the front door. Several long minutes later, Ron finally opened the door and just stared dumbly at the blond. Lucius sneered at the teen and pushed his way inside, calling for Harry. It soon became obvious that Harry was not in the house.

"Where's Harry?"

Ron blinked at the question and looked toward the kitchen. "He was helping mum with the dishes earlier."

"He's not there now," snapped Lucius. "Where did he go?" At the clueless look on the teen's face, Lucius took a deep, calming breath, trying to reign in his temper. Harry would be pissed if he killed the little bastard. "Okay, where's Molly?"

Ron shrugged his shoulders helplessly. Why did he always end up in this situations? "Hermione and I went upstairs after dinner while Harry stayed to help mum with the dishes. I don't know where they are now."

Lucius growled angrily and stormed from the house, apparating back to the safe house. Stalking into his bedroom, he found Severus sitting on the bed with Harry's note clenched in his hand. The vampire looked up expectantly when he walked into the room only to scowl when Harry didn't come in with him.

"Where's Harry? Draco said you went to the Weasley's to get him."

"I did, but he wasn't there," snapped Lucius irritably.

"What do you mean he wasn't there! Where else could he be?" demanded Severus.

Lucius glared at the other man. "Don't you think that if I knew that I would be there already?"

They were interrupted by a soft giggle from behind them. When they turned and glared, Luna just smiled airily at them. "The Sprites are singing happily. They're celebrating new life."

Severus sneered at the girl until the last part of what she said registered. "New life? You're not talking about Harry, are you? It's too soon for him to give birth." Merlin, please let it not be Harry.

Luna giggled again. "No, silly. The newest child of the moon is the one the sprites celebrate, but they anticipate the arrival of the Lightning child, as well. He will be the first in many, many years."

"What the hell are you talking about?" growled Lucius in frustration. He was in no mood to try to decipher the gibberish the girl was speaking. He needed to find his mate!

Severus groaned in realisation. "Obviously, you're referring to Lupin's spawn. If that's the case, Harry's most likely at St. Mungo's with the damn wolf."

"For Merlin's sake, why didn't you just say so?" asked Lucius wearily.

Luna blinked at him innocently. "I just did. You just weren't listening." She gave him another dreamy smile and walked down the corridor.

"I don't know how Harry deals with that girl. She's worse than Dumbledore ever was when it comes to speaking in riddles," sighed Lucius.

"Forget the girl, Lucius. We have a wayward mate to retrieve," said Severus.

Severus grabbed the blond's arm and pulled him into the shadows, teleporting to the Maternity Ward. They started down the corridor, looking for Lupin's room. However, when they did find it, Harry was nowhere in sight.

"Lupin, where is Harry?" demanded Severus.

"Hm?" Remus was too busy cooing over his newborn son to really listen to anyone else.

"Lupin! Where the bloody hell is my mate?"

"He left with Molly a short while ago. You probably just missed him," said Remus absently.

Lucius swore softly and stalked out of the room. Severus could deal with the irritating werewolf. He was going to find his mate. He didn't make it far, though. As he turned the corner of the corridor, Severus jerked him into the shadows and teleported them to the Burrow. They ended up in the living room, but once again, the room was empty.

Heavy footsteps thundered down the stairs, and a moment later Ron stepped into the room. He stopped short when he saw Lucius and Severus, edging slowly back toward the doorway. How did he always end up being the messenger?

"He's not here!" he blurted abruptly. "He went back home as soon as he got here."

"And the brat slips away once more," sighed Severus. "It's ironic that the day we're finally free to spend more time with him is the day he has no time for us."

"Well, I'm glad you see the humour in the situation," snapped Lucius.

"What right do you have to complain?" Ron finally asked. As oblivious as he usually was, he'd seen how lonely Harry had been the last month. "It was your choice to leave him alone for the past month. Harry didn't complain, though, did he? He supported your decision and dealt with the loneliness as best as he could. And you want to whinge because he's not waiting at home for you when you finally deign to return? It serves you right!"

Lucius' face went blank. What was so bad, though, is that the boy was right. He had no right to complain, and he, in fact, had some serious making up to do.

Severus sighed again. "Lucius, let's go home. We'll fix this mess somehow."

Lucius nodded wearily, and Severus pulled him into the shadows. He transported them directly to their bedroom and heard the water running in the bathroom. The water shut off, and a few moments later, Harry walked into the room, wearing only a slightly damp bathrobe.

Harry froze when he saw them before a wide smile crossed his face. "When did you get home?"

"We actually got home a bit earlier, but you weren't here," said Severus smoothly.

"Yeah, Tonks had her baby," said Harry excitedly. "Oh, you should see him. He's so cute and tiny. I can't wait until this one is born so I can hold him in my arms."

"We briefly saw him when we came to St. Mungo's to find you," said Lucius wryly. He then gave Harry an apologetic smile. "I've been a horrible mate the last month, and I'm sorry for that. Will you please forgive me?"

"I, as well," said Severus regretfully. "Although I was just trying to ensure your safety, I should have gone about it in a more appropriate manner. I got so caught up in what I was doing, I didn't even think about how you felt about it. I apologise for that."

"You're forgiven," said Harry softly. "Yes, I was lonely without you, but I knew that you were only doing it to protect your family, and I can't blame you for that. Just don't let work become your only priority next time."

"No worries about that," Lucius promised. "The Ministry is now up and running smoothly, so I have all the time in the world to spend with you and our son." He glanced pointedly at Severus and received a short nod in return. "And the rest of the Death Eaters are no longer a threat, so Severus will be here, as well. Soon enough, you'll be begging us to leave you alone."

Before Harry could respond to that, Severus picked him up and carried him over to the bed, setting him in the centre of the bed and climbing up beside him. Lucius quickly took the hint and crawled in on Harry's other side. As Lucius and Severus both placed a hand on his stomach, Harry just sighed in contentment. It was nice to feel this connection with his mates once more.

***

Draco sighed softly as he looked around the empty library. Ron and Hermione had moved out last month, choosing to stay at the Burrow, and Luna had returned home to her father a week ago. To be honest, he wanted to go home, too. Summer was just starting, and the gardens at the Manor were beautifully at this time of year.

Harry watched the despondent blond and grinned impishly. He had just the cure to the feelings of longing coming from the other teen. He, Lucius, and Severus had been quite busy the last two months making the preparations, after all.

"What's wrong, Draco?" he asked innocently.

Draco jumped in surprise at the other teen's question. He hadn't even heard Harry enter the room. "I'm just a little homesick, I guess. Everyone else has gone home, but we're still stuck here."

Harry smiled widely. "We're going home today."

"What?" asked Draco, staring at Harry in shock. "We're going back to the Manor today?"

"Yep," said Harry cheerfully. "The house-elves finished the repairs just yesterday." He hissed softly as the baby kicked strongly. He had less than a month before the baby was due.

"So what are we waiting for?" asked Draco excitedly. "Oh, I have to pack!"

Harry laughed at the blond's exuberance. "Calm down, Draco. The house-elves have already packed everything and taken it to the Manor. All you have to do now is either apparate or floo to the Manor." He looked down at his bulging belly with a rueful grin. "I, on the other hand, have to go with Severus since apparition and flooing are too dangerous now that I'm this far along."

Draco stopped abruptly and turned to look at Harry, staring at the brunet's bulging belly almost as though he'd never seen it before. "Bloody hell! You're due any day now, aren't you? No wonder Father was in such a hurry to get the Manor habitable again. Every Malfoy since the Manor was built has been born in that house."

"Every Malfoy?" asked Harry incredulously. "Do none of your ancestors have any siblings?"

"No," said Draco simply. "According to family legend, a curse was placed on the Malfoy line."

"What kind of curse?" asked Harry curiously. Lucius had never mentioned any curse to him. Of course, Lucius didn't mention family much at all really.

"Well, centuries ago, shortly after Malfoy Manor was built, my many times great-grandfather, Lucien Malfoy, was betrothed to Theodora Weasley. However, the betrothal ended when Lucien was forced to marry Callandra Goyle when she became pregnant with Lucien's child," Draco explained.

Harry snorted at that. "Well, that certainly explains it. Theodora was obviously pissed at Lucien's infidelity and cursed him. What exactly is the curse, though? Your family obviously has had no trouble finding spouses and carrying on the family line."

"I don't know exactly. All I know is that from day forward, every Malfoy has only produced one male heir," said Draco. He placed his hand on Harry's stomach and smiled at the brunet. "This little guy is a very special child. He will be the first Malfoy born as a second son in generations." His smile turned rueful. "He's definitely your son, Harry. He's not even born yet, and he's already doing the impossible."

Harry just smiled and pushed Draco toward the door. "Enough with the flattery. It's time for you to go home."

Draco nodded and hurried out of the room. He was excited about going home.

***

Harry was wide-eyed with awe when he got his first glimpse of the Manor. Seeing the splendour around him, he could definitely see why Draco was so proud of his ancestral home. Of course, he would never tell Draco that. The smug little git didn't need anything to boost his already sizeable ego.

"I have a surprise for you," said Lucius almost immediately. Therefore, Harry didn't really have a chance to see more than the foyer before Lucius pulled him toward the stairs. And since Harry was still holding onto Severus' arm, he had no choice but to follow them. Of course, he wasn't exactly complaining. He wanted to see Harry's reaction just as much as Lucius did.

Lucius stopped in front of a set of double doors and opened the doors with a flourish. "This is our bedroom."

Harry stepped into the room and gaped in shock. The room was absolutely huge with an enormous four-poster bed, a large walk-in closet, and a connecting bathroom with a pool-sized bath. He saw another door and opened it curiously only to gasp in wonder. The connecting room was a beautifully decorated nursery.

"Lucius, it's beautiful."

"I designed it, and Severus and I painted it this week," said Lucius proudly.

"Of course, it was my idea to turn the adjoining chambre into the nursery. Draco's nursery was in the west wing," said Severus dryly.

"That's because Narcissa refused to sleep in the same wing as a crying infant," said Lucius. "It's probably a good thing she couldn't have anymore children after Draco. She didn't start spending a significant amount of time with Draco until he was potty trained."

"Well, that certainly explains a lot. No wonder he's such a daddy's boy," said Harry impishly. He patted his stomach and said, "But you won't be that way, will you?"

"So he'll be a momma's boy instead?" asked Severus teasingly. "With a mother as devoted as you, I suppose that isn't that unexpected."

"Mother?" spluttered Harry. "I'm not a bloody woman!"

Lucius smirked at the teen. "But you are a mother. After all, you're the one who is carrying our child."

Harry scowled at the blond. "You better not even think about teaching our child to call me that."

"Wouldn't dream of it," said Lucius. He'd just have Severus and Draco do it for him.

Harry didn't believe it for one minute, but he just shook his head in resignation. "I'm going to take a bath before supper."

Lucius and Severus watched the teen leave before following after him with a lustful smirk. This was going to be a very enjoyable bath if they had anything to say about.


	28. Chapter 28

Chapter 28

Harry scowled irritably as the house-elf popped out of the room. He sighed and wearily rubbed his aching back. He suddenly tossed the covers aside and slid carefully out of the bed. Pulling on his pyjamas, he decided that if his mates wouldn't come to him, he would just have to go to them.

Keeping a firm grip on the bannister, Harry carefully walked down the stairs, keeping a sharp eye out for Lucius and Severus. He wasn't supposed to navigate the stairs on his own, and they would throw a fit of major proportions when they found out. It was their own fault, though. What else was he to do? His back was killing him, and he needed a pregnancy friendly pain potion. Unfortunately, the only ones who knew which ones were safe were too busy for him. According to the house-elf, Daisy, Severus was in his bloody lab, and Lucius was off at Diagon Alley doing Merlin knew what. Draco had left yesterday to visit Luna.

Luck was with him. Sort of. Harry reached the bottom of the stairs safely just as a sharp pain shot through his back and stomach. He groaned and leaned against the bannister, trying to ride out the pain. It finally abated, and Harry gasped in relief. Of course, that relief only lasted a mere moment as Severus stepped into the foyer.

Severus saw the pregnant teen at the foot of the stairs and scowled worriedly. "Harry, what are you doing down here?" He walked up to Harry and wrapped his arm around the brunet's waist. He froze, however, when he felt how hard Harry's stomach was. "Bloody hell! You're in labour! Why in Merlin's name didn't you call for me?"

"What?" asked Harry blankly. He wasn't in labour. He just had a backache. He wasn't ready to go into labour yet.

Severus shook his head in exasperation and lifted Harry into his arms. "Lucius, get a medi-witch here as quickly as possible. Harry's in labour," he shouted as he carried the pregnant teen back upstairs.

"Apparently, Lucius isn't here. Daisy said he went to Diagon Alley," said Harry.

Severus growled under his breath. What the bloody hell was Lucius thinking? He knew very well that Harry could go into labour at any time, and he was off gallivanting in Diagon Alley. Almost as if the blond heard him, the sharp crack of apparition sounded in the foyer. A moment later, Lucius came into view.

Seeing the pained grimace on Harry's face, he rushed toward the two brunet's. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

"He's in labour, you moron," snapped Severus. "You call a medi-witch while I carry him back upstairs."

Lucius paled at the news. "A medi-witch is useless when it comes to drake births, Severus. Wizarding magic doesn't work, remember?" He took a deep breath and squared his shoulders. "We'll just have to do it ourselves."

"It's just a backache," said Harry insistently, starting to panic at the thought of being in labour, especially considering Lucius' last proclamation. He wanted a professional to oversee his delivery, damn it! What if something went wrong?

"Yeah? And how long have you had this backache?" asked Severus irritably.

"Since I woke up this morning," Harry replied, wincing as Severus' arms tightened around him.

"You've been in pain for over six hours and didn't think to tell anyone?" growled Severus darkly. "Why didn't you have a bloody house-elf get us for you?"

"I tried," said Harry peevishly, his panic completely overridden by his previous annoyance. "But apparently you were both too busy for me. I asked Toffee to get one of you shortly after I awoke, and neither of you ever showed up. I asked Mitzy to get one of you two hours later, and you didn't show up then either. I sent Daisy after Lucius at lunchtime, but he was at Diagon Alley for some reason, so I sent her to get Severus, but he was in the middle of a very delicate potion and couldn't be disturbed. I finally just gave up and came downstairs myself to find you only to get yelled at for doing so."

Severus sighed wearily. "I was in the middle of brewing your wolf's monthly potion. Why didn't you call for Draco?"

Harry snorted. "Draco left yesterday to visit Luna and hasn't been back since. I thought you were more observant than that, Severus."

Severus ignored the irritable jibe and gently placed Harry on the bed. He carefully pulled the teen's pyjama pants off, but as he reached for the pyjama top, Harry groaned in pain and rolled to his side, arms wrapped around his stomach as a strong contraction racked his frame. When the pain eased, he slowly rolled back onto his back, panting for breath.

"Okay, that hurt," he said slowly.

"You're in labour, Harry. Of course it hurt," said Severus wryly. He quickly pulled off the teen's shirt and froze in shock. A long slit had appeared across Harry's stomach, running horizontally through his belly button. Several droplets of blood were already beading along the cut. He looked at Lucius worriedly.

"Is that normal, Lucius?" he asked softly so as not to worry Harry.

Lucius stared at his mate's belly and just shrugged helplessly. "I don't know. There is no record of a male Earth Drake giving birth in the Malfoy records. I haven't the faintest idea on what to do now."

"So we're going into this completely blind," said Severus with forced calm. Well, this was just bloody perfect. Harry was in labour and neither he nor Lucius knew how to deliver a drake baby.

Harry suddenly gave a choked scream, clenching his fists in the bedding, and the slit on his stomach widened further, blood sliding down the sides of his stomach. Severus and Lucius could only look on helplessly as the slit opened a little bit wider with each contraction until finally the slit was completely open, revealing a soft egg-like sac.

Lucius, acting purely on instinct, quickly pushed Severus aside and pulled the egg sac from Harry's body. He delicately cut the sac open and lifted the infant free from his former home, cleaning out the child's mouth and nose so he could breathe properly. His efforts were immediately rewarded with a loud wail from his son.

Severus quickly shook himself from his stupor and raised his wand to heal the cut on Harry's stomach only to find it closing on its own, leaving a thin pink scar. He looked at Harry in surprise, but the teen was looking at his stomach in dazed shock. However, when the baby gave his first cry, Harry's gaze shot toward the sound. He struggled to sit, smiling gratefully when Severus helped him, and immediately held out his arms demandingly. Lucius obligingly handed over the child with a tender smile.

Harry smiled mistily down at the baby. He was the most beautiful creature Harry had ever seen. A small tuft of pale blond hair graced the infant's head, and dark blue eyes blinked sleepily for mere seconds before closing in sleep.

Severus sat down beside Harry and gently traced the baby's cheek. "He's beautiful, Harry. What shall we name him?"

Lucius sat down on Harry's other side and gazed down at his son proudly. "What do you think of the name Orion in honour of your godfather? Or we can even honour the Black tradition and name him Corvus."

Severus grimaced slightly at the mere mention of that particular Marauder. He actually didn't mind the name, though, even if it was the mutt's middle name. However, that didn't mean he wouldn't offer his own suggestions. "What about Cassius? Or perhaps Marius?"

"I like Corvus Orion Malfoy," said Lucius insistently.

"Well, I like Cassius Septimus Potter," said Severus stubbornly.

Harry's lips quirked in amusement. It was quite funny to see the two men arguing over baby names. He looked down at the baby and whispered, "Your papas are so funny, aren't they? If they can't come to an agreement soon, I'll just have to name you James Sirius Malfoy."

That caught their attention. Lucius and Severus immediately stopped arguing with each other and turned to Harry with a horrified scowl. "We are not naming our baby James Sirius!" said Lucius adamantly.

Severus nodded in agreement. He'd be damned if he let Harry name their child that Merlin forsaken name. James Potter and Sirius Black had tormented him enough.

"Then I assume you've come to an agreement on what we should name the baby," said Harry with an arched brow.

"Cassius Orion Malfoy," they stated simultaneously.

Harry smirked at his two mates before smiling down at the baby. "Then Cassius Orion Malfoy it is. Welcome to the family, Cassius."

HPHP

Luna gasped in surprise and turned toward Draco with a beaming smile. "The Lightning Child has finally arrived."

"What? Are you serious?" asked Draco incredulously. "Damn it! It figures he would go into labour the first time I'm actually not home." He hurried to the fireplace and tossed a handful of floo powder into the flames. He started to step into the flames before he realised that Luna was still all the way across the room. "Aren't you coming?"

Luna shook her head with a dreamy smile. "This first meeting is special, Draco. I'll come by tomorrow morning." She walked up to Draco and kissed him on the cheek. "Now go. You have a baby brother to greet."

Draco smiled at the reminder and stepped into the flames, calling out, "Malfoy Manor!" When he stepped out of the fireplace, Draco was surprised to see his father's study in such disarray. Obviously, the elder Malfoy had been a trifle rattled when Harry went into labour. Of course, Harry was the only one who could destroy the famed Malfoy composure so easily.

Draco hurried upstairs to Harry's room and stopped in the doorway, watching the tender scene before him. Impatient to greet his little brother, he cleared his throat noisily and stepped into the room. "You just love spiting me, don't you, Harry? You just had to wait until the one time I left the Manor to have the baby. And if Luna hadn't told me, I still wouldn't know."

Harry grinned at the blond. "It's a gift. Now come meet your brother. We've named him Cassius Orion Malfoy."

Draco walked over to the bed, staring down at the bundle in Harry's arms curiously. "He definitely takes after you. He's a scrawny little thing, isn't he?"

Harry rolled his eyes at the jibe. "He's a newborn, Draco. He'll grow." He gestured toward the bed. "Sit down, and I'll let you hold him."

Draco gingerly sat down on the bed, nervousness churning inside of him. He'd never held a baby before. He needn't have worried, though. Harry gently placed the baby in his arms, showing him how to hold the infant properly, and Draco was immediately captivated.

"I hate to admit it, Harry, but you make cute kids," said Draco teasingly. "He's got the Malfoy blond hair, but the face is all you. He'll probably have your green eyes, too."

"Harry didn't make that child alone, you know," said Lucius irritably. "I contributed to his creation, as well."

"Yeah, I don't want to know that," said Draco, face scrunching in disgust. "I have no desire to know anything about my father's sex life, thank you very much." He looked back at Harry. "Have you told Granger and Weasel yet?"

"I just gave birth like twenty minutes ago, Draco. I haven't exactly had the time," said Harry wryly. Cassius began whimpering and fussing, and Harry took the baby back from the blond. "Why don't you make yourself useful and do that now while I feed Cassius?"

"I see how it is. I've been demoted to messenger boy," muttered Draco as he got off the bed.

"Oh, quit your whingeing. You got to meet him first, didn't you?" asked Severus irritably.

"Keep your knickers on. I'm going already," said Draco, smirking at the vampire when Severus growled at him. However, when Severus pulled his wand, Draco ran out of the run with a startled yelp.

Draco went back to the study and floo-called the Burrow. "Hey, Weasel! Granger! Anyone there?"

A moment later, Molly walked into the room and knelt in front of the fireplace. "Draco? Is something wrong?"

"Not really. Harry just had the baby is all," said Draco casually. "They named him Cassius Orion Malfoy."

"Hermione! Ron! Harry had the baby! I'll be at Malfoy Manor if you need anything!" shouted Molly. She turned back toward the fireplace with a determined scowl. "Move out of the way. I'm coming through."

Draco knew better than to argue and quickly did as she asked. A second later, Molly stepped out of the fireplace. "He's on the second floor, East wing, first bedroom on the right." As Molly hurried out of the room, Draco shook his head in bemusement and turned back toward the fireplace. Of course, Hermione and Ron still weren't present.

"Those irritating prats. I guess I'll just have to floo to the Burrow and drag them back myself," sighed Draco.

Draco flooed to the Burrow, but there was no one downstairs to greet him. Stomping up the stairs, he pushed open every door he passed in his search for Ron and Hermione. Unfortunately, he finally found them.

"My eyes! I never ever, ever wanted to see Weasley's naked arse!" screamed Draco, slamming the door back. "Harry, I hate you for doing this to me."

A few minutes later, Hermione opened the door, wearing only a bathrobe. "What the hell are you doing here, Draco? What do you want?"

Draco scowled at the girl. "Do you actually think I want to be here? Harry just thought you might like to meet his newborn son. But if you're too busy..."

"Harry had the baby?" squealed Hermione excitedly. "Oh, I can't wait to meet him." She started to run out of the room, but Draco quickly grabbed her arm.

"You might want to get dressed first. A bathrobe isn't exactly proper attire for an outing."

Hermione looked down at what she was wearing and blushed furiously, slamming the door in Draco's face. She hurriedly got dressed and tossed Ron his clothes, rushing around the room excitedly. She couldn't wait to meet the baby.

Ron just stared at Hermione in bemusement. One minute they were going at it hot and heavy, and the next, they were rudely interrupted by Draco's girlish screams. Now his girlfriend was rushing around the room, squealing about babies.

"Hurry up, Ronald. Harry had the baby, and I want to see him," demanded Hermione with a pointed glare.

Knowing there was no changing her mind, Ron reluctantly got dressed. Hermione smiled brightly and pulled several wrapped gifts out of the closet, piling them in Ron's arms. Ron scowled down at the presents. "What's all this, Hermione?"

"Gifts for the baby," said Hermione happily. She grabbed two more wrapped gifts. "And these are for Harry's birthday."

"But his birthday is still two weeks away," said Ron in bemusement.

"I know, but he'll be busy with the baby, so I thought I'd go ahead and give them to him today," said Hermione reasonably. "Now let's go." She pulled Ron out of the bedroom and headed down stairs. "Oh, I can't wait to see the baby. I bet he's absolutely adorable."

"Of course he is. He's a Malfoy," said Draco smugly.

"Please, Merlin, let him take after the Potter side of the family," Ron quietly prayed. He had enough blond gits to deal with as it was.

HPHP

Molly rushed into the bedroom and smiled at the sight that greeted her. Harry lay in the centre of the bed with the baby resting comfortably on his chest. Lucius was curled around the brunet protectively, and Severus was lying on Harry's other side, gently stroking the baby's back.

Harry smiled wearily at the Weasley matron. "Come meet your grandson. We've named him Cassius Orion Malfoy."

As Molly walked toward the bed, Severus sat up and lifted the baby into his arms. He kissed Cassius on the forehead and reluctantly handed the baby to Molly.

Molly cooed at the baby in her arms. "He's absolutely beautiful, Harry. A perfect blend of you and Lucius." The baby blinked open his big blue eyes, and Molly smiled widely. "Oh, I hope he has your gorgeous green eyes. They would look positively stunning with that pale blond hair." She looked back at Harry. "Is he a drake, as well?"

Harry nodded. "Yeah, he's definitely a drake. We think he may actually be a Lightning Drake. Luna seems certain of it, at least. I'm inclined to believe her, though. She's rarely wrong about these things."

"When will he be able to transform?" asked Molly curiously. She could just imagine a tiny little drake flying around the room.

"Not until his magical maturity," said Lucius smoothly. He was surprised to see a disappointed look cross Molly's face. What was that all about?

"Aw, that's too bad. A baby drake flying around would be simply adorable," said Molly.

Harry burst out laughing. That was so typical of Molly.

"Well, I see that Mum didn't waste any time getting her hands on the baby," said Ron wryly, standing by the door with Hermione and Draco.

Hermione simply squealed slightly and rushed to Molly's side. "Oh, he's adorable. What's his name?"

"Cassius Orion Malfoy," sighed Severus. Apparently, they just needed to monogram the name on his damn blanket to keep from having to repeat fifty thousand times a day.

"He's blond," said Ron with a grimace. "He looks just like Harry's baby picture, though. Good job, Harry."

Harry just grinned at his friend. Ron would never change. As he watched his chosen family gather around his son, he felt a swell of contentment rush through. With so many people who already loved him, Cassius would never feel the pain and loneliness his father had been forced to endure.

_**Five Years Later**_

"Daddy, guess what?" asked Cassius with a delighted grin.

Harry smiled down at his excited son. "What?"

"Aunty Luna and Uncle Draco are coming to visit, and they're bringing Scorpius with them," said Cassius.

"Is that so? Well, I'm sure you and Scorpius will have lots have fun together," said Harry fondly.

"But not with Corvus. Aunty Luna says he's too little to play with us," said Cassius with a pout.

"Well, Corvus is only one. He's still got a little growing to do before he can play the same games you and Scorpius play," said Harry reasonably.

Cassius rested his ear against Harry's swollen stomach. "When's my little sister going to be born?"

Harry laughed softly. "Not for another two months. This little one isn't a drake like we are. She takes after her Papa Severus." Cassius sighed in disappoint, and Harry smiled and ruffled Cassius' hair. "Cheer up, Cash. Aunty Hermione and Uncle Ron are coming to visit, as well. And you know what that means."

"The newest Weasley brood will be coming with them," said Severus dryly, hugging Harry from behind. "I still can't believe Weasley and Granger have managed to spawn five brats in as many years."

"I can't believe they decided to try for another one after having the triplets," said Lucius wryly.

Cassius wrinkled his nose. "They're girls anyway. Who wants to play with girls?"

Harry snickered at the proclamation. "You might change your mind when you're older."

"Nuh uh," said Cassius firmly. "Girls are no fun at all."

"Boys are definitely more fun," Severus whispered warmly in Harry's ear, pressing his hips firmly against his mate's arse.

Harry's cheeks flushed, and his breath caught in his throat.

"Daddy, your face is all red. Are you sick?" asked Cassius curiously.

"Daddy's just feeling a little warm and needs to lie down for a bit. Why don't you go downstairs and ask Toffee to make some warm biscuits for you and Scorpius?" Lucius suggested calmly.

"Okay," said Cassius eagerly. "Hope you feel better soon, daddy." With a happy smile, Cassius ran out of the room.

As soon as Cassius was out of the room, Lucius shut and locked the door before turning toward Harry with a predatory smile. "We'll make you feel better, Harry. Won't we, Severus?"

"Blissful even," Severus replied. With a quick swish of his wand, he banished Harry's robes. Another flick and his and Lucius' clothes were gone, as well. "Do you feel better yet, Harry?"

Harry swallowed hard and pressed his arse back against Severus' hard cock. "Actually, I think I might have a fever. I need something to help cool me down."

Lucius cupped Harry's face in his hand and pulled the brunet into a deep, passionate kiss. "I'm afraid the fever will have to get worse before it can get better," he said against Harry's kiss-swollen lips.

Harry suddenly yelped in surprise as Severus abruptly lifted him into his arms and carried him to the bed. In the next instant, Harry found himself braced on his hands and knees with Severus' tongue buried in his arse. Harry moaned softly and buried his face in the covers to muffle his cries. That didn't last long, though, because Lucius pulled his upper body into his lap.

"Naughty, Harry. You know that isn't allowed. If you want your mouth muffled, I'll give you something to fill it," purred Lucius.

Harry groaned at the wicked promise and eagerly took Lucius' hard shaft into his mouth. He groaned around the hard length in his mouth when Severus began preparing. He felt like he was going to explode, and they hadn't even really started yet.

Severus quickly slicked up his shaft and slowly thrust inside of his mate. Merlin, he loved the feeling of being inside his mate's hot, tight body. He pulled back slowly and slammed back in, making Harry arch his back with a muffled scream of pleasure.

Lucius groaned and thrust further in Harry's mouth. The only thing better than being in Harry's mouth like this was being buried to the hilt in Harry's arse. "That's it, lovely. Scream for Severus. Show us how much you like our cocks inside you."

Harry groaned and sucked Lucius' shaft even harder. He loved it when his mates dominated him like this. Severus held his hips in a tight grip as he thrust into him deeply while Lucius had his hand fisted in his hair, guiding the rhythm of Harry's head as he eagerly sucked the hard shaft. That alone was almost enough bring him to release. What did it, though, was when Lucius delicately pinched his sensitive nipples. The combined feeling of Severus pounding his prostate and his nipples being pinched brought Harry over the edge, and he screamed out his release.

Feeling Harry clench around him, Severus growled and thrust twice more before spilling his seed deep in Harry's arse. He heard a choked snarl and looked up to see Lucius thrust upward as he pulled Harry's head down, forcing Harry to swallow around his cock to avoid gagging. Lucius came with a garbled groan, spurting down Harry's throat. Panting for breath, he reluctantly withdrew his spent cock from Harry's mouth, groaning when he saw the brunet's swollen mouth.

"Merlin, you're beautiful," he whispered, pulling Harry up into a slow kiss. He gently broke the kiss and settled them both more comfortably on the bed. "I love you, Harry."

Harry just gave him a tired, sated smile and relaxed in his arms. "I love you, too, Lucius. You becoming a drake was the best thing to ever happen to me. I gained you as a mate, and..."

"And what about me?" asked Severus, laying down on Harry's other side. "I love you just as much as Lucius does."

"And I love you, as well, Severus," said Harry with a smile. "The last five years have been the happiest of my life, and I owe it all to you and Lucius. Thank you both for loving me."

"Anytime, Harry," said Lucius solemnly.

"Anytime," Severus repeated.

The End


End file.
